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The  Martyr  Presidents 


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FROM 


PIONEER   HOME 


TO 


THE    WHITE    HOUSE. 


LIFE  OF 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN: 

BOYHOOD,  YOUTH,  MANHOOD,  ASSASSINATION,  DEATH. 

BY 

WILLIAM  M.  THAYER, 

AUTHOR   OF   "  FROM    LOG   CABIN  TO  THE  WHITE   HOUSE,"  ETC. 

By    HON.  GEORGE    BANCROFT. 


NORWICH,  CONN.: 

THE   HENRY   BILL   PUBLISHING   COMPANY. 

C.  C.  WICK  &  CO.,   CLEVELAND,   O. 

1882. 


Copyright,  1SS2, 
By  William   M.  Thayer. 

All  Eights  Reserved. 


Boston  Stereotype  Foundry, 
4  Pkakl  Street. 


TO 


ALL    WHO    HONOR    TRUE    MANHOOD, 
^fjts  Uolutne, 

PORTRAYING  THE  SIMPLICITY,  TACT,  TALENTS,  SELF-RELIANCE, 
AND   STERLING   HONESTY   OF 

ABRAHAM     LINCOLN, 

IN  HIS  EARLY   CONFLICT  WITH   POVERTY   AND    HARDSHIP, 

AND   HIS   REMARKABLE   PUBLIC 

LIFE, 

5s  Sittcerelg  anti  ^ffcctionatelg  ©cliicatetJ. 


PREFACE. 


n^HE  author  of  this  volume  wrote  the  first  Life  of 
-■'  Abraham  Lincoln  —  The  Pioneer  Boy,  and 
HOW  HE  BECAME  PRESIDENT  —  which,  after  a  very- 
large  sale,  passed  out  of  print  in  consequence  of  the 
destruction  of  the  plates  by  fire.  A  Campaign  Life 
of  only  thirty-two  pages,  relating  chiefly  to  his  public 
career,  was  issued  at  the  West,  after  his  nomination  for 
the  Presidency  in  i860;  but  The  Pioneer  Boy  was 
the  first  complete  biography  of  the  man.  Dr.  Holland 
said  of  it,  several  years  later,  in  his  Life  of  Lincoln, 
**  A  singularly  faithful  statement  of  the  early  experience 
of  Abraham  Lincoln."  The  materials  for  the  Cam- 
paign Life  spoken  of  were  furnished  by  Mr.  Lincoln, 
and  he  very  kindly  directed  that  pamphlet,  with  a 
quantity  of  unused  matter,  to  be  passed  into  our  hands, 
to2:ether  with  the  names  and  addresses  of  several  of 
his  early  associates,  reared  with  him  in  the  wilderness, 
and  of  intimate  friends  in  later  life,  from  whom  the 
most  valuable  information,  never  before  given  to  the 
public,  was  received.  From  these  sources  of  knowledge 
The  Pioneer  Boy  was  prepared. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  new,  larger  and  more  elab- 
orate Life  of  Lincoln,  we  have  had,  in  addition  to  the 
above  sources  of  information,  others  of  even  greater 
value,  at  least  so  far  as  his  character  and  public  services 
relate. 


6  PREFACE. 

Subsequent  to  the  issue  of  the  former  volume,  the 
author,  having  in  view  the  preparation  of  a  more 
thorough  biography  at  a  future  day,  gathered  much 
valuable  information  from  public  men,  who  were  on  the 
most  intimate  terms  with  President  Lincoln  at  Wash- 
ington, as  Sumner,  Wilson,  Buckingham,  and  Ames, 
who  are  dead,  and  others  who  are  still  living.  Also, 
periodical  literature  has  furnished  many  facts  and  anec- 
dotes, from  time  to  time,  which  have  been  carefully 
laid  aside.  Last,  though  by  no  means  least,  access  to 
the  numerous  lives  of  Lincoln  published  since  his  death 
— Dr.  Holland's,  Lamon's,  Barrett's,  Leland's,  Forney's, 
and  Raymond's — has  been  especially  serviceable  in  the 
preparation  of  this  volume.  That  very  interesting 
work  of  Carpenter  —  Six  Months  in  the  White 
House — has  furnished  a  fund  of  incident,  illustrative 
of  Mr.  Lincoln's  character  and  ability. 

From  these  ample  sources  of  material,  the  author 
has  endeavored  to  make  a  biography  for  popular  read- 
ing such  as  the  times  demand.  The  very  large  sale  of 
his  recent  life  of  President  Garfield  —  From  Log- 
Cabin  to  the  White  House  —  created  an  active  de- 
mand for  The  Pioneer  Boy,  which  fact  seemed  to 
mark  the  present  time  as  providential  for  the  issue  of 
this  new  life  of  the  martyr  President. 

The  perusal  of  this  work  will  satisfy  the  reader  that 
the  author's  claim,  in  the  Preface  to  the  Log-Cabin, 
that  Garfield  and  Lincoln  were  remarkably  alike  in  the 
circumstances  of  birth,  early  struggles,  and  later  ex- 
perience, was  fully  justified.  The  fact  is  without  a 
parallel  in  the  history  of  public  men  —  such  marvellous 
coincidences  from  their  birth  in  log-cabins  to  their 


PREFACE.  7 

assassination  in  the  White  House.  Apart  from  this 
likeness,  however,  the  Ufe  of  Lincoln  as  an  example  of 
industry,  tact,  perseverance,  application,  energy,  econ- 
omy, honesty,  purity,  devotion  to  principle,  and  triumph 
over  obstacles  in  a  successful  career,  presents  a  profit- 
able study  to  the  youth  and  young  men  of  this  and 
other  lands.  The  only  parallel  to  it  is  that  of  Pres- 
ident Garfield,  with  which  we  aim  to  connect  this  later 
volume.  The  names  of  these  two  illustrious  statesmen 
are  for  ever  associated  in  the  history  of  our  Republic. 
It  is  well  nigh  impossible  to  separate  them  in  the 
thoughts  of  men.  Statesmen  of  such  power  and  in- 
fluence, beginning  their  lives  in  want  and  obscurity 
and  ending  them  in  the  White  House,  cut  off  at  last 
by  the  shot  of  the  assassin,  must  find  their  niche 
together  in  the  temple  of  fame.  One  other  name  only 
of  the  great  and  good  men  of  the  past  naturally  affiliates 
with  these  two  —  that  of  George  Washington  —  the  life 
of  whom  will  follow  this  as  soon  as  it  can  be  prepared, 
bearing  the  title.  From  Farm  House  to  the  White 
House.  These  three  —  Washington,  Lincoln,  and 
Garfield  —  remarkably  alike  in  their  early  precocity 
and  the  wisdom  and  influence  of  manhood  —  furnish 
stimulating  examples  to  American  readers. 

Incidents  are  brought  to  the  front  in  this  life  of 
Lincoln,  as  they  were  in  that  of  Garfield,  and  they 
are  made  to  portray  the  life  of  the  man.  Facts  are 
better  than  logic  to  exhibit  the  elements  of  personal 
character ;  therefore,  we  let  incidents  tell  the  story  of 
his  life. 

When  Abraham  Lincoln  was  consulted  respecting 
his  biography,  after  his  nomination  for  the  Presidency 


8  PREFACE. 

in  i860,  he  replied:   *'  You  can  find  the  whole  of  my 
early  life  in  a  single  line  of  Gray's  Elegy : 

" '  The  short  and  simple  annals  of  the  poor.' " 

WTiile  this  apt  reply  revealed  the  simplicity  of  the 
man,  it  introduced  the  biographer  at  once  to  the  open- 
ing of  a  marvellous  life.  For,  surely,  that  is  a  marvel- 
lous life,  when  a  boy,  reared  in  a  floorless  log-cabin, 
works  his  way,  by  dint  of  perseverance,  upward  and 
onward,  into  the  highest  office  of  the  land. 

The  chief  object  of  the  book  is  to  show  how  its 
hero  won  his  position  ;  yet  it  incidentally  exhibits  the 
manners  and  customs  of  the  times,  and  section  of 
country,  in  which  he  was  reared. 

Provincialisms  are  intentionally  avoided,  as  well  as 
that  singular  perversion  of  the  English  language  that 
characterized  the  unlettered  people  of  Kentucky  and 
Indiana  sixty  years  ago. 

When  Mr.  Lincoln  was  alive,  and  the  honored  Pres- 
ident of  the  United  States,  one  of  his  old  friends  and 
neighbors  wrote  to  us  :  "I  have  known  him  long  and 
well,  and  I  can  say  in  truth,  I  think  (take  him  altogether) 
he  is  the  best  man  I  ever  saw.  Although  he  has  never 
made  a  public  profession  of  religion,  I  nevertheless 
believe  that  he  has  the  fear  of  God  before  his  eyes,  and 
that  he  goes  daily  to  a  throne  of  grace,  and  asks  wis- 
dom, light,  and  knowledge,  to  enable  him  faithfully  to 
discharge  his  duties."  The  reader  will  find  abundant 
confirmation  of  the  friend's  eulogy  in  this  volume. 

W.  M.  T. 

Franklin,  Mass.,  March,  1882. 


CONTENTS. 


I. 

BIRTHPLACE. 


Cabin-home  on  NoHn  Creek  —  Father  and  Mother  —  Ances- 
tors in  Virginia  —  Indians,  and  Grandfather  Killed  by  Them 

—  A  Dark  Day  —  Tales  of  Abraham's  Childhood  —  Battle 
with  Indians  —  Capture  of  Three  Girls  —  His  Father's 
Youth  —  Learning  Carpenter's  Trade  —  Could  not  Read 
or  Write  —  Learning  of  his  Wife  —  Members  of  Baptist 
Church  —  His  Mother  —  On  Knob  Creek  —  Abraham 
Fishing  and  Hunting  —  Dennis  Hanks  —  Furniture  of  his 
House 23 

II. 

A    SCHOOLBOY. 

Riney's  School  —  Reading  only  Taught  —  Hazel's  School  — 
How  to  get  the  Money — Indiana  a  Free  State  —  Few  and 
Poor  Schools  —  Four  Miles  Away  —  The  Lincoln  Library 

—  Religious  Advantages  —  Elder  Elkins  —  Reading  the 
Bible  —  Familiar  with  Bible  through  Life  —  Incidents  of 
His  Parents'  desire  to  Educate  him  —  Decision  to  Move  to 
Indiana  —  Gallaher's  Interest  —  A  Conversation  —  Land 
Titles  —  Real  Cause  of  Removal  to  Indiana,  a  Free  State    .     32 

III. 

THE    OLD    HOME    SOLD. 

Colby's  Arrival  —  His  Proposition  —  It  Awakens  Surprise  — 
The  Farm  Sold  for  Whiskey  —  Not  Singular  then  —  Prep- 
arations to  Move  —  Settlement  —  Starting  on   Flatboat  — 


10  CONTENTS. 


On  the  Ohio  —  Upset  in  the  River  —  Saved  —  Recovery  of 
part  of  Goods  —  Thompson's  Ferry  —  Moved  by  Posey  to 
Interior  —  Gave  Boat  for  Moving  —  Spot  Selected  —  Going 
back  for  Family  —  Heroism  of  Western  Females  then  — 
Indians  —  Seven  Days  on  the  Journey 42 

IV. 

A  NEW   HOME   MADE. 

The  Axe  a  Symbol  of  Pioneer  Life  —  Strength  Developed  — 
Incident  Forty  Years  Later  —  Erecting  a  Half-faced  Camp 

—  How  Abe  began  Pioneer  life  —  Built  Log-house  next  Year 

—  Described  —  Putting  up  a  Bed  —  flaking  Table  and 
Stools  —  Abe's  Parlor  Chamber  —  The  Home-made  Grist- 
mill—  Process  of  making  it — How  Pioneer  Families  got 
Meal  —  Reading  in  his  new  Home  —  Improving  in  Pen- 
manship —  Surroundings  described  —  No  Water  near  — 
How  got  this  Farm  —  Spencer  County  —  State  of  Society 
two  Years  later,  and  Physical  Condition  described  by 
Turnham  —  Mrs.  Lincoln  against  Drinking  Customs      .     .     56 

V. 

AFTER   GAME. 

His  First  Shot  — Talking  over  Loss  on  Ohio  — The  Flock 
of  Turkeys  —  A  large  one  killed  —  Abe  Lincoln  surprised 

—  Dependent  on  Hunting  for  Food  —  Skill  of  Pioneer 
Hunters  —  Their  Standard  —  Snuffing  a  Candle  —  Arrival 
of  Thomas  and  Betsey  Sparrow  —  A  happy  day  —  God- 
send to  Abraham 70 

VI. 

DARKER  DAYS. 

Hungry  for  Knowledge  —  Wants  other  Books  than  Bible  — 
The  "Milk-Disease"  —  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sparrow  sick  —  Nurs- 
ing them  —  Their  Death  and  Burial  — Mrs.  Lincoln's  brief 
Sickness  —  Ncighborb'  Synij)athy  and  Skill — Her  speedy 


CONTENTS.  1 1 


Death  —  Buried  on  the  Knoll  —  Abe's  Letter  to  Parson 
Elkins — His  first  Letter  —  Neighbors  surprised  —  Writing 
Letters  for  them  —  Parson  Elkins  comes — His  Welcome  — 
His  Funeral  Sermon  —  Impression  upon  Abraham  —  Char- 
acter and  Power  of  Pioneer  Preachers  —  A  Remarkable  Ex- 
ample—  These  Preachers  and  Abraham's  early  life    ...     76 


VII. 
BPJGHTER    HOURS. 

Copy  of  Pilgrim's  Progress  —  His   surprise  —  ^sop's   Fables 

—  A  Treasure  and  its  Influence  —  Books  Interfere  with 
Work — His  Father's  Reproof — Writing  Name  on  the 
Earth — Charged    with   Laziness  — The   Charge   Repelled 

—  Common  to  call  Students  lazy  —  None  Lazy  who  Im- 
prove every  Moment  —  At  Baldwin's  Shop  —  Seeking  enter- 
tainment —  Ramsay's  Life  of  Washington  read  —  Robinson 
Crusoe  his  delight 93 

VIII. 

A  NEW  MOTHER  AXD    SCHOOLS. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  Home  Untidy  — Need  of  a  Wife  and  Mother  — 
Remembers  a  Friend  of  his  early  Manhood — Married  — 
Brings  his  Bride  Home — Her  "Household  Stuff"  —  The 
second  Mrs.  Lincoln  better  Educated  than  the  first  —  Has 
Floor  made  and  Windows  supplied  —  Abraham's  Welcome 
to  his  Stepmother  and  her  Children  — What  Dennis  Hanks 
says  —  Dennis  Married  one  of  her  Daughters  —  Dorsey 
opens  School  —  School-house  described  —  Arithmetic  — 
"Trapping  up"  —  Crawford's  School  —  Crawford's  In- 
fluence—  His  Prophecy  about  Abe  —  Example  of  Abe's 
Honesty  —  What  Nat  Grigsby  says  —  Abe's  Compositions  — 
Opposes  Cruelty  to  Animals — Defends  a  Terrapin  —  His 
Plea  —  Crawford's  Praise — The  Rule  of  Three  —  Peace- 
maker —  An  Example  —  Best  Spelling  —  Spelling  D-e-f-i-e-d 

—  Teaching   "  Manners  "  —  Abe's  Appearance  —  Swaney's 
School  — John  Hanks      . 103 


12  CONTENTS, 


IX. 

BORROWING  AND   WHAT   CAME   OF  IT. 

Talk  about  Washington — Weems'  Life  of  Washington  — 
Borrowing  the  Book  —  Consequences  of  Borrowing  Books 
—  Pleasant  Hours  —  A  Rain  ruins  the  Book  —  Sorrowing 
over  it  —  Proposition  to  Crawford,  the  Owner — His  Ex- 
tortion —  A  hard  Man  —  Cuts  three  Acres  of  Fodder  to 
Pay  for  Book  —  Afterwards  Worked  for  Crawford,  with 
his  Sister —  "  The  Kentucky  Preceptor  "  — Appearance  of 
Josiah  Crawford  —  His  Nose  in  Abe's  Verse  and  "  Chron- 
icles"—  What  Mrs.  Crawford  says  about  his  being  Pres- 
ident—  Abraham  Kicked  seriously  by  a  Horse  —  "  Cluck,"     120 

X. 

WORKING   AND   WINNING. 

Society  about  him  —  Mrs.  Crawford's  Description  —  Popu- 
lation increased  —  People  superstitious  —  Examples  of 
superstition  —  Influence  on  Abraham  —  Becomes  a  Ferry- 
man, Farmer,  Hostler,  and  House-servant  —  Reads  His- 
tory of  the  United  States  at  Night  —  Employer's  Son  his 
Bedfellow  —  Abe's  late  Reading  vexes  him  —  What  he  Said 
about  Abe  Twenty  Years  after — Hog-killing  —  Became 
a  Butcher — His  Sister  Married — He  Writes  a  Poem  for 
the  Occasion  —  His  Presence  demanded  at  Parties  — 
Works  for  Jones  the  Store-keeper  —  Variety  of  Work  — 
Reads  Life  of  Franklin  —  Reads  a  Newspaper  here  —  Dis- 
cusses Politics  —  Life  of  Henry  Clay  —  Visits  afterwards 
to  Grocery  —  Acting  the  good  Samaritan,  himself  the 
Horse — Saved  a  Man 132 

XI. 

UPWARD   AND   ONWARD. 

How  Abraham  was  regarded  —  What  John  Hanks  says  — 
Mr.  Lamon's  words  —  His  Mother's  Testimony — The 
Scrap-book  —  His  Mother's  Tribute  to  Herndon  —  Read- 


CONTENTS.  13 


ing  and  "Preaching  about"  —  The  Eccentric  Preacher 
and  Abraham's  imitation — His  Father  stopping  it  — 
Foundation  of  Greatness  laid  here  —  Working  for  Mr. 
Wood — The  Temperance  Paper,  and  Writing  for  it  — 
The  Political  Paper,  and  Writing  for  it  —  Excitement 
over  the  Pioneer  Writer  —  Substance  of  his  Political 
Article — Just  what  he  Wrote  when  President  —  Abra- 
ham's Temperance  Principles  —  His  Original  Copies  in 
Verse  —  Hunting  a  Necessity  —  Wild  Animals  there  — 
Plays  and  Games  —  Abraham's  great  Strength     ....     145 

XII. 

ON  THE    FLATBOAT. 

Works  for  Mr.  Gentry  —  A  Flatboat  Trip  to  New  Orleans 
Proposed  —  Account  of  Flatboating  —  Consent  of  Parents 
to  go  —  His  Mother's  Apprehensions  —  Preparations  — 
Talk  with  Miss  Robyon  Astronomy  —  What  she  Thought 
Forty  Years  after  —  The  Trip  described  —  A  Rough  Life 

—  A  Bloody  Contest  with  Madame  Bushane's  Slaves  — 
The  Sequel  —  The  Trip  successful  —  Return  Home  .     .     .     158 

XIII. 
SUNDRY   INCIDENTS. 

Trading  Trip  —  His  first  Dollar  for  Service  —  Looking  higher 

—  Call  on  Mr.  Woods  —  Disappointed  Hope  —  Another 
Log-cabin  —  The  Statutes  of  Indiana  —  Studying  and 
Reading  at  David  Turnham's  —  Going  to  Court  —  The 
Murder  Trial  —  Meeting  the  Shelby  Boy  and  President  — 
The  Gentryville  Lyceum  —  Qiiestions  Discussed  —  Place 
for  the  Enslaved — Abe's  Appearance  —  Centre  of  Attrac- 
tion—  The  Foolish  Act  and  the  Outcome  —  How  he 
Learned  —  Dennis  Hanks'  Eulogy  —  Talk   of  Removing 

to  Illinois 169 

XIV. 
OFF  TO   ILLINOIS. 

The  Families  to  Remove  —  How  they  Went  —  Abe  of  Age 

—  Will    not  Leave  his   Father  and    Mother  —  Scripps  — 


14  CONTENTS. 


His  Description  of  Moving  —  Two  Hundred  Miles  —  Bad 
Roads  and  Swollen  Streams  —  The  Kaskaskia  —  Uncle 
John's  House  —  The  Spot  to  Settle  —  Building  a  Log- 
house —  The  Fifteen  Acres  —  Ploughing,  Rail-splitting, 
and  Fencing  —  Mrs.  Brown's  Story,  and  Abe's  Bedfellow 

—  George  Chase's  Story  —  Splitting  Rails,  and  Reading 

—  Attacked  by  Fever  and  Ague  —  Useful  —  A  Hard 
Winter i8o 

XV. 

ANOTHER  TRIP  TO  NEW  ORLEANS. 

Denton  OtTutt's  Proposition  —  Who  is  Abe  —  His  Step- 
brother—  The  Plan  and  Pay  —  Start  for  Springfield  — 
Boat  not  Ready  —  Abe  Proposes  to  Build  one  —  Repair  to 
Spring  Creek  —  Merry  Times  —  Discussions  —  The  Jug- 
gler—  Description  of  Abe  again  —  Boat  Finished,  and 
Cargo  —  Stuck  on  Rutledge's  Dam  —  Abe's  Ingenuity  — 
The  Spectators  —  Success  and  Cheers  —  Offutt's  Opinion 

—  Abraham's   Invention   afterwards  —  The   Patent  Office 

—  Loading  Wild  Hogs  —  Sewing  up  their  Eyes  —  The 
Voyage  Down  the  River — Horrified  by  Slavery  —  Prov- 
idence leading  —  Return  —  Oftutt  hires  Abe  to  keep  Store 

—  Walks  from  St.  Louis — The  Famous  Wrestler  —  Abe's 
Magnanimity 191 

XVI. 

IN   A   PIONEER    STORE. 
Going  to  New  Salem — Waiting — Acting  as  Polling  Clerk 

—  Going  on  Flatboat  to  Beardstown  —  Oftutt  coming  with 
Goods  —  Installed  "  Storekeeper"  —  Care  of  Saw-mill  too 

—  W.  G.  Green,  Assistant  Clerk  —  His  Popularity  in  the 
Store  —  His  Honesty  —  Examples  of  it — Silencing  the 
Drunken  Bully  —  Minter  Graham  and  Pinkham's  Gram- 
mar—  How  Abraham  Found  and  Studied  it  —  Lamon's 
Words  —  Studied  in  Cooper's  Shop  —  Great  Progress  — 
Talk  with  Alley  —  His  Estimate  of  Grammar  —  Meeting 
Richard  Bates  —  Spilling  the  Milk  and  Breaking  Bowl  — 
A  Noble  Trait — Mastered  Grammar  —  Its  Blessing  to 
him  thereafter 204 


CONTRACTS.  15 


XVII. 

STILL   A   CLERK. 

The  Clary's  Grove  Boys  —  Their  Aim  —  Description  of 
them  —  Ruffians  —  How  they  Attacked  Abraham  —  Dis- 
pute with  Offutt — Jack  Wrestling  with  Abraham  —  How 
Abraham  Settled  the  Trouble  —  The  Clary  Grove  Boys 
Lose  Power  —  "Honest  Abe"  —  Jack's  Trouble  with  a 
Stranger  —  Abraham  reconciles  them  —  Abraham  Builds 
a  Pig-pen — Debating  Clubs  —  Dr.  Holland's  Account  — 
Tlie  Talisman  Navigating  the  Sangamon  —  Abraham  a 
Pilot — Herndon's  Account  —  Offutt's  Poor  Bargains  and 
Failure  —  Dr.  Holland  on  Abraham's  Standing   ....     220 

XVIII. 

ON  THE   WAR   PATH. 

The  Black  Hawk  War  —  Abraham  Resolves  to  Enlist  — 
Others  follow  —  A  Company  formed  in  New  Salem  — 
How  chosen  Captain — Abraham's  Speech — "Captain 
Lincoln" —  He  Lifts  a  Barrel  of  Whiskey  —  His  Views  of 
Betting,  and  Whiskey  —  Lecture  to  Green  —  Going  into 
Camp,  and  End  of  War — Incidents  —  The  Friendly  In- 
dian and  General  Cass  —  Abraham's  Courage  and  Power 

—  His  Life  in  Danger  —  The  Greatest  Athlete  —  Wrestles 
with  Thompson  —  His  Uprightness  —  Securing  the  Rights 
of  his  Volunteer  Company  —  Irwin's  Tribute  to  hiin  as  a 
Soldier  —  Abraham's  Humorous  Speech  about  it  in  Con- 
gress   230 

XIX. 

UNSOUGHT   HONORS. 

After  his  Return  from  War  —  Thinks  of  Learning  Black- 
smith's Trade  —  Candidate  for  the  Legislature  —  His  Talk 
with  Green  and  Surprise  —  How  he  Consented,  and  the 
Lyceum — Nominated,  and  first  Speech  —  Address  to 
Voters  of  the  Country  —  His  Comical  Dress  — Not  Elected 

—  Advised    to    Study   Law  —  An    Honest   Calling  —  No 


1 6  CONTENTS. 


Confidence   in   himself — Desires  Permanent  Occupation 

—  Becomes  a  Merchant  again  —  The  National  Debt  —  His 
Failure  —  What  Books  Read  —  Synopsis  of  all  he  Read  — 
Old  Copy  of  Blackstone-^  What  McHenrj  sajs  —  Assists 
Ellis  in  the  Store — What  Ellis  says  of  him — What 
Papers  Read — How  Avoided  Interruptions  —  ^Meeting 
John  Calhoun  —  Becomes  Surveyor  —  His  Success  — 
Reforms  New  Salem  —  flakes  Jack  behave  —  Umpire  at 
Horse-race  —  How  Worked  for  Short  —  Appointed  Post- 
master—  Office  in  his  Hat 243 

XX. 

LAURELS   WON. 

Elected  Representative  in  1S34  —  Dr.  Barrett's  View  —  Re- 
fused to  "  Treat  "  his  Friends  —  Close  Study  —  How  Ob- 
tained a  New  Suit  of  Clothes  and  Interview  with  Smoot 

—  Pocket-money  —  Infidels  and  Infidel  Books  —  In  the 
Legislature — John  T.  Stuart  Advises  him  to  Study  Law 

—  His  Generous  Aid  —  Henry  Clay  —  Decides  to  Study 
Law — Self-denial  and  Companions  —  Walking  Twenty- 
two  Miles  for  Books  —  Like  Cicero  —  Elected  again  in 
1S36 —  Survej'ing  and  Studying  —  Prevents  Violence  at  a 
Political  Meeting — Flaying  a  Politician  Alive — Who 
Met  in  Legislature  —  The  Long  Nine  —  Face  to  Face  with 
Slavery  —  Firm  Stand  with  Dan  Stone  —  Admitted  to 
Bar  in  1S37  —  Elected  for  Third  Term  in  1S3S  —  His  Firm 
Temperance  Principles — Addressing  Young  Men's  Ly- 
ceum —  Elected  Fourth  Time  in  1840  —  Qiielling  a 
Political  Mob  —  Silencing  a  Legislator  with  a  Story  — 
Stuart  and  Logan  —  Married  —  Letters  of  Friendship 
Revealing  his  Heart 261 

XXL 

SUCCESSFUL   LAWYER. 

His  Practice  and  Poverty  —  Circuit  Court  —  House  Enlarged 
in  his  Absence  —  Horse,  Saddle-bags,  and  Buggy — His 
Character  —  Not  Defend  a  Client  in  Wrong  —  An  Inter- 
esting Case —  The  Old  Negress  and  Her  Son  Redeemed 


CONTENTS.  17 


—  Colonel  Baker  and  Lincoln  —  What  Judge  Treat  re- 
lates —  Deluded  into  a  Wrong  Case  —  Refused  to  Defend 
his  Client  when  Convinced  he  was  Guilty  —  Another 
Case  —  A  Suit  against  a  Railroad  —  Refused  $250  Offered 
him  —  What  Gillespie  Thought  of  him  as  a  Lawyer  — 
What  Sparks  said  of  him  —  How  he  Saved  Jack  Arm- 
strong's Son  from  the  Gallows  —  Aunt  Hannah  and  her 
Gratitude  —  His  Eloquence  and  Power — How  he  As- 
sisted Aunt  Hannah  afterwards  —  Released  her  Son  from 
the  Army  when  President  —  What  his  Associate  said  of 
his  Plea  —  Habits  of  Study  —  Sending  Money  to  Parents 

—  Spends  $750  for  his  Mother  —  Letter  to  his  Dying 
Father  —  Testimony  of  Judge  Davis  and  Judge  Drum- 
mond 279 

XXII. 

THE   RISING   STATESMAN. 

Candidate  for  Congress  —  Henry  Clay  —  Generosity  to  a 
Client  —  Takes  Seat  in  Congress  Dec.  6,  1847  —  Opposes 
Mexican  War  and  Annexation  of  Texas  —  Popularity  in 
Congress  —  Devotes  Himself  to  Self-improvement  — 
Retirement  —  Occasional  Political  and  Temperance 
Speeches  —  Aroused  by  Breaking  Missouri   Compromise 

—  Takes  the  Field  of  Controversy  —  Replying  to  Douglas 

—  Great  Speech  —  Great  Success  —  Candidate  for  United 
States  Senator  —  Magnanimous  Withdrawal  in  Favor  of 
Turnbull  —  Republican  Party  of  Illinois  Organized,  his 
Speech  —  Candidate  for  Vice-President  in  1856  —  In  Fre- 
mont Campaign  —  His  Prophecies  of  Bloodshed  —  Can- 
didate for  United  States  Senator  in  1858  —  His  Victorious 
Debates  with  Douglas  —  His  "  House-Divided-Against- 
Itself  Speech"  —  Interview  with  Herndon  and  Others  — 
Result  of  the  Canvas  —  His  Tribute  to  Declaration  of 
Independence <> 297 

XXIII. 

GOING  UP   HIGHER. 

State  Convention  of  Illinois  —  Lincoln  Invited  to  Platform  — 
The  Hurrah  —  The  Old  Democrat  and  Rails  —  Criticism  of 


1 8  CONTENTS. 


Democrat — Convention  puts  him  forward  for  President 

—  Incidents  a  Year  Before  —  An  Old  Friend  in  New  York 

—  At  Five-Points  Mission  —  Dr.  Gulliver's  Account  of 
Interview  with  him  —  National  Kepublican  Convention  at 
Chicago  —  The  Candidates  —  Lincoln  Nominated  on  Third 
Ballot  —  A  Hurricane  of  Applause  —  News  at  Springfield 

—  Scenes  —  Ilis  Temperance  Principles  come  to  the  Front 
again  —  Effect  at  the  South  —  His  Visitors  many  —  Amus- 
ing Incidents  —  His  Height  —  The  Scanty  Dinner — Han- 
nah Armstrong  —  Incidents  in  Chicago  —  His  Election  to 
the  Presidency  —  Dramatic  Scene  in  Presence  of  Mr. 
Bateman  —  His  Confidence  in  Bible  and  Prayer — Child 
of  Providence  —  Went  to  see  his  Mother,  a  Touching 
Scene  —  People  Fear  his  Assassination  —  Speech  to  Neigh- 
bors on  Leaving  for  Washington  —  Trip  there  —  Plot  to 
Assassinate  him 31 1 

XXIV. 

LIFE   IN  THE   WHITE    HOUSE. 

What  he  Did  —  Incidents  Tell  the  Story  —  Inauguration  — 
His  Address  —  Reading  Address  to  Family  —  His  Cabinet 

—  Words  with  a  Senator  —  Depended  on  Patriotisin  of  the 
People  —  The  Previous  Administration  —  Lincoln's  Story 

—  Interview  with  Senator  Douglas  —  Call  for  75,000 
Troops  —  Support  of  Douglas  —  First  Gun  of  the  Re- 
bellion —  Fall  of  Sumter  —  Efl"ect  —  He  Ruled  and  no 
one  else — Rejects  Cameron's  Advice  —  Refused  to  Re- 
taliate—  Refused  to  Remove  Cameron  —  Criticizes  a 
Committee's   Report  —  The   Smith   Case  —  His  Firmness 

—  Thrusts  an  Officer  out  of  his  Room  —  Sickness  and 
Death  in  his  Family  —  Mrs.  Pomroy's  Interview  — 
Watching  with  Sick  Tad  —  Talk  with  iSIrs.  Pomroy  upon 
Religion  —  Reciting  her  Experience  —  Twice  —  Thrice  — 
Prayer  and  the  War  —  The  Midnight  Telegram  —  Willie's 
Funeral — The  Senator  —  His  Mother's  Bible  —  Institut- 
ing Prayer  for  Soldiers  —  Pleasing  Incident  —  His  Inter- 
view with  Dr.  Vinton — A  Devoted  Father — His  Deep 
Sorrow  —  Defence  of  his  Stories  —  His  Wit — His  Mag- 
nanimity —  Art  of  Putting  Things  —  Several  Illustrations 


CONTENTS.  19 

—  What  a  Writer  Says —  His  Religious  Character  —  Trust 
in  Providence  —  Orders  to  Prevent  Sabbath-breaking  and 
Profanity  —  Temperance  —  His  Literary  Ability — Illus- 
trations—  Address  at  Dedication  of  National  Cemetery     .     333 

XXV. 

HIS   GREAT   INTEREST   IN    SOLDIERS. 

"Father  Abraham"  —  "The  Boys" — His  Opinion  Ex- 
pressed —  Spoke  from  Experience  —  Would  not  Yield 
Care  of  Soldiers  —  Daily  Routine  —  Night-work — Sol- 
diers before  Senators —  A  Soldier  and  his  Mother  —  The 
Baby  —  Boy  on  the  Ottawa  —  The  Drummer  Boy  —  A 
Mother  Asks  for  a  Son  —  The  Handsomest  Man  —  Rests 
in  Pardoning  the  "Boys" — The  Four  Telegrams  —  Do 
him  no  Good  to  Shoot  him — The  Vermont  "Boy"  — 
Blood  and  Remission  of  Sins  —  Rebel  Sympathizer  — 
Shaking  the  Hands  of  Five  Thousand  Soldiers  —  The 
Rebel  Soldier —  Extracts  from  Letters  —  Sorrow  over 
Slain  Soldiers — Dr.  Holland's  Words  and  Facts  —  His 
Praise  of  General  Garfield  —  His  Letter  to  a  Mother  —  In 
terest  in  Soldiers'  Aid  Societies  —  Letter  and  Speeches  — 
Joy  over  Relief  for  Soldiers  —  Pity  for  "  Boys  "  in  Rebel 
Prisons  —  Retaliation  —  Visiting  Rebel  Prisoners  —  The 
Penitent  —  Herndon's  Eulogy — Climax  of  the  Sacrifice   .     372 

XXVI. 

HIS   WORK   FOR   THE    COLORED   RACE. 

**  Liberator  of  a  Race  "  —  His  Sentiments  Stated  —  Letter  to 
Greeley  —  Sojourner  Truth  —  Frederick  Douglas  —  Chil- 
dren of  Concord  —  Counting  Greenbacks  for  a  Negro  — 
Colored  Delegation  from  Louisiana — Protection  of  Col- 
ored Soldiers,  his  Order  —  Refusing  to  give  up  Colored 
Soldiers  —  Refused  to  Pardon  Slave-Trader — Committed 
to  Negro  Suffrage  —  Reverence  of  Colored  Soldiers  for 
him  —  Negroes  in  Virginia  —  Their  Joy  over  Lincoln  in 
Richmond  —  Colonel  McKaye's  Account  of  them  —  Their 
Gift  of  a  Bible  —  Of  Wax  Flowers  —  Asking  for  Procla- 
mation   of    Emancipation  —  First  Proposed    Freedom  — 


20  CONTENTS. 


Cabinet  Meeting —  Proclamation  Issued  —  His  Signature 

—  Carpenter's  Painting  —  Copy  of  Proclamation  —  Words 

of  Colfax 401 

XXVII. 

STILL   IN  THE   WHITE    HOUSE. 

Re-nomination  —  The  Soldiers  for  him — The  German  — 
Call  for  500,000  Troops  —  His  Re-election  —  Reply  to 
Committee  —  Its  Effect  —  Second  Inauguration  —  His 
Address  Remarkable  —  Copy  of  it — Sumner's  Words  — 
Civil  Service  Reform  —  Office-seekers  —  Going  to  City 
Point — His  Telegrams  —  Fall  of  Richmond  —  Lincoln 
enters  the  City  —  At  Jeff  Davis's  Headquarters  —  Reading 
Shakespeare  —  Surrender  of  Lee  —  National  Joy  —  Sum- 
ner Classes  Lincoln  with  Washington 420 

XXVIII. 

SHOT  OF  THE   ASSASSIN. 

Threats  of  Assassination  —  His  Remarks  —  Objected  \.o 
Guards  —  Colonel  Halpine's  Appeal  —  Plot  to  Abduct  him 

—  Robert  Lincoln's  Return  —  Ford's  Theatre  —  Ashmun 
and  Colfax  —  The  Fatal  Shot  —  The  Assassin  —  Fearful 
Excitement  —  Seward  Wounded  —  Death-bed  Scene  — 
Terrible  Night  —  The  Assassin  —  Assassin  Caught  —  A 
Fact  about  Booth  —  Lincoln  and  William  of  Orange  — 
Description  of  the  Nation's  Sorrow  —  The  Sabbath  —  Ven- 
geance in  New  York — Garfield's  Words  —  Grief  of  Col- 
ored People  —  Letter  from  Charleston,  S.  C.  —  A  Friend's 
Story  down  South  —  Foreign  Sympathy  —  Victoria  — 
Eugenie  —  France  —  Italy  —  Belgium,  etc.  —  Tributes  of 
Bancroft  and  Speaker  Colfax 433 

XXIX. 

FUNERAL  CEREMONIES. 

Preparation  for  Funeral  —  Action  of  Congress  —  Lying  in 
State —  The  City  in  Black — Funeral  in  East  Room  —  Dr. 


CONTENTS.  21 


Gurlej's  Eloquent  Tribute — Ceremonies  at  the  Capitol  — 
Vast  Multitude  —  Ceremonies  throughout  the  Land  — 
Floral  Tributes — Funeral  Train  to  Springfield  —  Scene 
in  Baltimore  —  Sorrow  in  every  Village  —  Philadelphia  in 
Tears  —  Prophetic  Words  —  Tribute  of  New  York  —  Mot- 
toes—  Other  Cities  —  The  Scene  at  Midnight  —  Funeral 
at  Chicago  and  Springfield  —  Closing  Tributes   ....     449 


XXX. 

ORATION. 
By  Hon.  George  Bancroft »     .    .     .     .     459 


CHAPTER    I. 
BIRTHPLACE. 

HE  miserable  log  cabin  which  the  artist  fur- 
nishes further  on  in  this  chapter,  tells  the 
tale  of  poverty  and  lowliness  into  which 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  born.  It  was  a  floor- 
less,  doorless,  windowless  shanty,  situated  in  one  of 
the  most  barren  and  desolate  spots  of  Hardin  county, 
Kentucky.  His  father  made  it  his  home  simply  be- 
cause he  was  too  poor  to  own  a  better  one.  Nor  was 
his  an  exceptional  case  of  penury  and  want.  For  the 
people  of  that  section  were  generally  poor  and  un- 
lettered, barely  able  to  scrape  enough  together  to  keep 
the  wolf  of  hunger  from  their  abodes. 

Here  Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  February  12th, 
1809.  His  father's  name  was  Thomas  Lincoln;  his 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Nancy  Hanks.  When 
they  were  married,  Thomas  was  twenty-eight  years  of 
age,  and  Nancy,  his  wife,  twenty-three.  They  had 
been  married  three  years  when  Abraham  was  born. 
Their  cabin  was  in  that  part  of  Hardin  County  which  is 
now  embraced  in  La  Rue  County,  a  few  miles  from 
Hodgensville  —  on  the  south  fork  of  Nolin  Creek.  A 
perennial  spring  of  water,  gushing  in  silvery  brightness 
from  beneath  a  rock  near  by,  relieved  the  barrenness  of 


24         PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  location,  and  won  for  it  the  somewhat  ambitious 
name  — ''  Rock  Spring  Farm." 

"  How  came  Thomas  Lincoln  here  ?  "  the  reader  will 
ask,  "  Whence  did  he  come  ?  "  "  Who  were  his  an- 
cestors ? " 

Thomas  Lincoln  was  born  in  Rockingham  County, 
Virginia,  in  1778.  Two  years  later  (in  1780),  his 
father  lured  by  the  stories  of  the  remarkable  fertility 
of  the  soil  in  Kentucky,  and  the  rapid  growth  of  the 
population,  removed  thither  for  a  permanent  abode. 
He  had  five  children  at  the  time  —  three  sons  and  two 
daughters  —  and  Thomas  was  the  youngest  child  but 
one.     He  settled  in  Mercer,  now  Bullitt  County. 

Then,  a  hundred  years  ago,  the  Indians  in  that  re- 
gion, and  throughout  the  whole  north-west  territory, 
were  deadly  hostile  to  the  whites.  The  pioneer  "  took 
his  life  into  his  hands  "  by  removing  thither.  His  rifle 
was  his  constant  companion,  that  he  might  defend 
himself  against  the  savage  foe,  whether  at  home  or 
abroad.  If  he  went  to  the  field  to  plough  or  build 
fence,  or  into  the  woods  to  chop,  his  rifle  was  indispen- 
sable. He  knew  not  when  or  where  the  wily  Indian 
would  surprise  him. 

Four  years  after  the  father  of  Thomas  Lincoln 
moved  into  Kentucky,  he  went  into  the  field  to 
build  fence.  He  took  Thomas,  who  was  then  about 
six  years  old,  with  him,  and  sent  his  two  older  sons, 
Mordecai  and  Josiah,  to  work  in  another  field  not  far 
away.  While  busily  engaged  in  putting  up  fence,  a 
party  of  Indians  in  ambush  fired  at  the  father  and  he 
fell  dead.  The  sons  were  terribly  frightened,  and  little 
Thomas  was  well-nigh  paralyzed.    Josiah  ran  to  a  stock- 


BIRTHPLACE.  25 


ade  two  miles  off,  and  Mordecai,  the  eldest,  ran  to  the 
cabin,  from  the  loft  of  which,  through  a  loop-hole,  he 
could  see  the  Indians.  A  savage  was  in  the  act  of 
lifting  his  little  brother  from  the  ground,  whereupon 
Mordecai,  aiming  his  gun  through  the  hole  in  the  loft, 
fired,  and  killed  the  "redskin."  The  latter  fell  to  the 
ground  instantly  and  Thomas  ran  for  his  life  to  the 
cabin.  Mordecai  continued  at  his  post,  blazing  away 
at  the  head  of  every  Indian  who  peered  from  the  un- 
derbrush. Soon,  however,  Josiah  arrived  from  the 
stockade  with  a  party  of  settlers  ;  and  the  savages  fled, 
leaving  their  dead  comrade  and  a  wounded  one  behind 
them.    Mordecai  had  done  good  execution  with  his  rifle. 

That  was  the  darkest  day  that  the  family  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln's  grandfather  ever  knew.  The  lifeless 
form  of  their  strong  protector,  borne  into  their  humble 
cabin,  made  it  desolate  indeed.  Who  would  defend 
them  now }  To  whom  would  they  look  for  bread  .-* 
A  home  in  the  wilderness  was  hardship  enough,  but 
the  fatal  shot  of  the  savage  multiplied  hardships  an 
hundred  fold. 

Abraham  Lincoln  often  listened,  in  his  boyhood,  to 
this  tale  of  woe  in  his  grandfather's  cabin.  It  was  a 
chapter  of  family  history  too  startling  and  important 
to  be  passed  over  with  a  single  rehearsal.  It  was 
stereotyped  and  engraved  upon  Abraham's  young 
heart,  with  many  other  reminiscences  and  facts  con- 
nected with  life  in  Kentucky  at  that  early  day.  His 
father  was  a  great  story-teller,  and  was  noted  for  his 
"yarns,"  and  besides,  a  sort  of  pride  prompted  the 
recital  of  this  exciting  chapter  of  family  history,  with 
scenes  that  preceded  it. 


26  PIOAEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  It  would  take  me  a  week,"  he  would  say,  "  to  tell 
you  all  I  have  heard  your  grandpa  say  about  those 
dark  days.  The  very  year  he  came  here,  1780,  the 
Indians  attacked  the  settlers  in  great  force.  All  the 
men  were  ordered  to  organize  into  companies,  and 
Daniel  Boone,  '  the  great  hunter  of  Kentucky,'  who 
settled  there  five  years  before  the  Lincolns  did,  was 
made  a  lieutenant-colonel,  and  all  the  forces  were 
put  under  the  charge  of  General  Clark.  They  started 
to  meet  the  enemy,  and  found  them  near  the  Lower 
Blue  Licks.  Here  they  fought  a  terrible  battle,  and 
the  Indians  beat,  and  cut  up  the  whites  badly.  Boone's 
son  was  wounded,  and  his  father  tried  to  carry  him 
away  in  the  retreat.  He  plunged  into  the  river  with 
him  on  his  back,  but  the  boy  died  before  he  reached 
the  other  side.  By  the  time  Boone  got  over  the  river, 
he  looked  around  and  saw  that  the  Indians  were  swim- 
ming after  him  ;  so  he  had  to  throw  down  his  dead  son, 
and  run  for  his  life.  He  got  away  and  reached  Bry- 
ant's Station  in  safety.  Before  that,  the  Indians  cap- 
tured three  little  girls  and  carried  them  off.  They  be- 
longed to  the  fort  at  Boonesboro,  and  one  of  them  was 
Boone's  daughter.  They  were  playing  with  a  canoe  in 
the  Kentucky  river,  and  crossed  over  to  the  other  side, 
when  a  party  of  Indians  rushed  out  of  the  bushes  into 
the  river  and  drew  the  canoe  ashore.  The  girls  were 
scared  almost  to  death,  and  screamed  so  loud  that 
they  were  heard  at  the  fort.  The  men  in  the  fort 
ran  out  to  help  them,  but  by  the  time  they  reached  the 
canoe,  the  savages  had  fled  with  the  girls.  It 
was  almost  night  —  too  late  to  organize  and  pursue 
them,  and  so  they  spent  the  night  in  mustering  all 


BIRTHPLACE.  2/ 


the  men  they  could  and  started  after  them  at  break  of 
day.  But  it  was  well  nigh  the  close  of  the  next  day 
when  the  settlers  came  in  sight  of  the  Indians,  forty 
miles  off.  They  had  camped  for  the  night,  and  were 
cooking  their  supper.  Fearing  that  the  Indians  would 
kill  the  girls  rather  than  give  them  up,  it  was  the  plan 
of  the  settlers  to  shoot  them  so  suddenly  that  they 
would  have  no  time  to  kill  the  girls.  So  they  banged 
away  at  the  savages,  all  of  them  together,  as  soon  as 
they  came  in  sight  of  them,  taking  good  care  not  to  hit 
the  children.  Not  one  shot  hit  an  Indian,  but  the  at^ 
tack  was  so  sudden  and  uproarious,  that  the  red-skins 
were  scared  half  out  of  their  wits ;  and  they  ran  away 
as  fast  as  their  legs  could  carry  them,  leaving  the  girls 
and  their  weapons  behind." 

Abraham's  young  life  was  regaled  with  many  such 
''yarns"  —  real  facts  of  history  —  belonging  to  the 
times  and  experience  of  his  ancestors.  Whatever 
may  have  been  the  effect  of  these  "  harrowing  tales  " 
upon  his  mind,  it  is  quite  certain  that  he  must  have 
seen,  by  contrast,  that  his  own  condition,  with  all  its 
want  and  woe,  was  a  decided  improvement  upon  that 
of  his  grandfather's  family. 

But  to  return  to  our  story,  Abraham's  grandmother 
removed  after  her  husband  was  shot  ;  and  Thomas, 
his  father,  was  compelled  to  shift  for  himself  as  soon  as 
he  was  old  enough  to  work  for  his  living.  Being  a 
rover  by  nature,  and  under  the  necessity  of  supporting 
himself,  he  wandered  about  from  place  to  place  in 
search  of  jobs,  and  took  up  his  abode  wherever  there 
was  a  chance  to  earn  his  bread  and  butter.  He  was 
not  very  enterprising,  nor  particularly  industrious  at 


28         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

this  period  of  his  Ufe.  He  loved  a  roving  hfe  too  well 
and  was  too  well  satisfied  with  jolly  companions  to 
mean  business.  His  wandering  career,  however, 
showed  him  much  of  the  world,  and  furnished  the 
opportunity  to  store  his  mind  with  anecdotes  and  some 
useful  information,  which  he  made  frequent  use  of  in 
after  years,  and  by  reason  of  which,  he  became  very 
popular  with  his  associates. 

When  Thomas  Lincoln  was  about  twenty-six  years 
of  age,  he  went  to  live  with  Joseph  Hanks,  a  carpenter, 
of  Elizabethtown,  Kentucky,  to  learn  his  trade.  It 
was  here  that  he  met  Nancy  Hanks,  niece  of  Joseph 
Hanks,  whom  he  courted  and  afterwards  married, 
thereby  getting,  not  only  a  trade,  but  a  wife,  also. 
The  latter,  however,  was  much  more  of  an  acquisition 
than  the  former ;  for  he  was  never  competent  to  do 
any  but  the  roughest  work  at  his  trade.  When  he 
was  married  to  Nancy  he  set  up  housekeeping  in  a 
more  miserable  abode  at  Elizabethtown  than  the  log 
cabin  on  Nolin  Creek.  From  this  shanty,  into  which 
he  took  his  bride,  he  soon  removed  to  the  other  shanty 
on  the  aforesaid  Creek. 

This  is  how  and  why  Thomas  Lincoln,  father  of 
Abraham,  became  the  proprietor  of  the  rickety  habi- 
tation in  Hardin  county,  that  we  have  described  to  the 
reader.  Here  three  children  were  born  to  him ;  Sarah, 
the  eldest,  Abraham  next,  and  Thomas  the  third.  The 
latter  died  in  infancy. 

Thomas  Lincoln  could  neither  read  nor  write.  He 
had  not  .been  to  school  a  single  day  in  his  life.  His 
wife  could  read  passably,  but  she  could  not  write  suffi- 
ciently to  undertake  a  letter.      She  could   sign  her 


BlRTHrr.A<   K   «<1-     ^^.KJiAJlAM    LINCOLN. 


BIRTHPLACE.  29 


name  to  a  document,  and  perhaps  do  a  little  more  in  the 
same  line ;  while  her  husband  could  only  make  his  mark. 

"You  can  learn,"  said  his  bride  to  him,  soon  after  the 
twain  became  one  flesh.     ''Never  too  old  to  learn." 

"That's  a  question,"  responded  her  husband,  who 
was  one  of  the  easy  bodies,  who  could  scarcely  think 
it  worth  while  for  a  man  to  go  to  school,  even  to  his 
wife,  at  twenty-eight  years  of  age. 

"It's  not  a  question  at  all,"  responded  Mrs.  L. 
"  You  can  learn  to  write  your  name,  if  nothing  more, 
and  that  will  be  a  great  improvement  over  making 
your  mark.     I  can  teach  you  as  much  as  that," 

At  length  the  good-natured  husband  consented  to 
take  lessons  of  his  wife  in  penmanship ;  and  he  ac- 
tually set  to  work  to  accomplish  his  purpose.  The 
most  that  he  accomplished,  however,  was  to  learn  to 
write  his  name  so  that  ingenious  people  could  read  it. 
He  lifted  himself  out  of  that  ignorant  and  unambi- 
tious class  who  are  content  to  make  their  X. 

At  this  time  Thomas  Lincoln  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  showing  that  they 
cast  in  their  lot  with  the  best  people  of  the  county, 
and  aspired  to  a  Christian  life.  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  a 
more  devout  follower  of  Christ  than  her  husband,  and 
was  more  gifted  mentally.  Dr.  Holland  says :  "  She 
was  a  slender,  pale,  sad,  and  sensitive  woman,  with 
much  in  her  nature  that  was  truly  heroic,  and  much 
that  shrank  from  the  rude  life  around  her."  Lamon 
says :  "  By  her  family  her  understanding  was  consid- 
ered something  wonderful."  There  is  no  doubt  that 
she  was  a  bright,  sensible,  brave  Christian  woman, 
whose  father  removed  from  Virginia   into    Kentucky 


30         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

about  the  time  that  the  father  of  Thomas  Lincoln  did. 
Thomas  appears  to  have  been  satisfied  with  his  choice, 
and  her  influence  over  him  was  strong  and  elevating. 

When  Abraham  was  four  years  old,  his  father  re- 
moved to  a  more  fertile  and  picturesque  spot  on  Knob 
Creek,  six  miles  from  Hodgensville.  This  creek  emp- 
ties into  the  Rolling  Fork,  the  Rolling  Fork  into  Salt 
River,  and  Salt  River  into  the  Ohio,  twenty-four  miles 
from  Louisville.  How  so  poor  a  man  could  purchase 
so  much  of  a  farm  (two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  acres) 
for  one  hundred  and  eighteen  pounds,  seems  myste- 
rious, until  we  learn  the  fact  that,  at  the  end  of  the 
year,  he  sold  two  hundred  acres  for  one  hundred 
pounds,  reserving  but  thirty-eight  acres  for  himself. 
But  even  this  condition  of  his  affairs  shows  a  decided 
advance  in  contrast  with  the  pitiable  poverty  that  in- 
ducted him  into  wedded  life.  Then,  too,  the  fact  that 
he  aspired  after  a  more  fertile  and  attractive  location, 
and  actually  planted  from  six  to  eight  acres  the  first 
year  of  his  residence  on  Knob  Creek,  proves  that  the 
spirit  of  a  larger  enterprise  possessed  his  soul.  Some- 
how his  marriage  to  Nancy  Hanks  had  raised  him  above 
that  restless,  thriftless,  aimless  life  that  characterized 
his  youth  and  early  manhood. 

It  was  on  Knob'  Creek  that  Abraham,  or  "Abe,"  as 
he  was  familiarly  called  by  his  parents  and  other  people, 
was  initiated  into  fishing  and  other  sports.  On  Nolin 
Creek  he  hunted  "ground-hogs"  with  a  precocious 
boy,  Johnnie  Duncan,  who  afterwards  became  quite 
widely  known  as  Rev.  John  Duncan.  On  Knob  Creek, 
he  played  in  the  water,  took  long  tramps,  and  enjoyed 
himself  generally  with  one  Billy  Gallahcr.     For  a  boy 


BIRTHPLACE.  3 1 


of  his  age  (but  six  or  seven  at  that  time)  he  was  ad- 
venturous and  enterprising.  One  of  his  venturesome 
sports  was,  to  catch  hold  of  a  branch  of  a  sycamore 
tree  and  swing  over  the  water.  One  day,  when  indul- 
ging in  this  risky  sport,  with  his  no  less  venturesome 
Billy,  he  lost  his  hold  of  the  limb  and  plunged  into  the 
water.  If  Billy  had  not  been  a  cool,  smart,  efficient 
boy,  Thomas  Lincoln  would  have  lost  a  good  son  on 
that  day,  and  the  United  States  of  America  a  good 
President.  But  Billy  was  equal  to  the  occasion,  and, 
by  brave  efforts,  succeeded  in  delivering  "Abe"  from 
a  watery  grave. 

Another  boy,  Dennis  F.  Hanks,  his  cousin,  was  one 
of  his  boon  companions,  though  a  little  older  than  him- 
self. Thomas  Sparrow,  who  reared  Nancy  Hanks  to 
womanhood  (Mrs.  Lincoln),  had  given  Dennis  a  home 
in  his  family,  and  Sparrow  was  now  a  neighbor  of 
Thomas  Lincoln,  and  Dennis  and  "Abe"  playmates. 
Dennis  was  a  great  lover  of  hunting  and  fishing,  and 
"Abe"  accompanied  him  upon  many  a  long  tramp, 
though  he  was  not  old  enough  to  use  fire-arms ;  nor 
did  he  ever  become  expert  in  either  hunting  or  fishing. 

The  Lincoln  cabin  on  Knob  Creek  was  very  little 
better  than  the  one  on  Nolin  Creek.  It  was  a  floorless 
log-house,  with  one  room  below  and  a  loft  above,  and 
the  usual  accompaniment  of  stools,  skillet,  and  Dutch 
oven.  Here  "Abe"  began  to  show  signs  of  remark- 
able brightness,  as  evinced  by  his  tact,  intelligence  and 
aims.  It  was  noticeable  that  he  was  more  precocious 
than  other  children  of  his  age ;  and  his  parents  were 
not  slow  to  perceive  and  appreciate  the  fact.  The 
next  chapter  presents  him  in  a  new  role. 


CHAPTER    II. 
A    SCHOOLBOY. 

[INEY  is  going  to  keep  school,"  remarked  Mr. 
Lincoln  to  his  wife,  one  day,  "  and  he  wants 
to  know  if  Sarah  and  Abe  will  go." 
*'I  hope  so,  certainly,  though  he  can't  be 
much  of  a  teacher  any  way,"  replied  Mrs.  Lincoln. 
**  A  poor  school  is  better  than  none." 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  about  that,"  continued  Mr. 
Lincoln.  **  It  won't  take  Riney  long  to  tell  the  chil- 
dren all  he  knows ;  but  that  is  better  than  nothing." 

"  He  can't  write  nor  cipher,"  added  his  wife,  "  and 
a  man  who  can't  do  that  can't  be  much  of  a  reader." 

*'  Well,  reading  is  all  he  claims,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln. 
"  He  has  nothing  to  do  with  figures  or  writing.  He 
proposes  to  teach  boys  and  girls  what  he  knows,  and 
nothing  more." 

"That's  about  all  the  best  of  them  can  do,  —  teach 
what  they  know,"  —  Mrs.  Lincoln  answered.  "To 
attempt  more  would  be  foolish 'indeed." 

This  Hezekiah  Riney  was  a  new  comer,  and  he  had 
settled  within  a  half  mile  of  Lincoln's  cabin.  He  was 
a  rough,  ignorant  man,  with  scarcely  one  qualification 
for  a  teacher,  even  in  that  wild  untutored  country. 


A   SCHOOLBOY.  33 


But  he  wanted  to  eke  out  a  miserable  subsistence  by 
adding  a  few  dollars  to  his  pitiable  income  ;  and  so  he 
proposed  school-keeping  as  about  the  only  thing  pos- 
sible in  that  barren  country.  Parents  accepted  the 
proposition  because  there  was  nothing  better  ;  and 
here  the  hero  of  this  volume  began  to  be  a  schoolboy, 
accompanying  his  sister  Sarah  daily  to  Riney's  cabin. 
*' Abe "  made  some  progress  at  this  school  —  he 
began  to  read.  A  dilapidated  copy  of  Dillworth's 
spelling-book  was  the  only  volume  the  two  children  of 
Tom  Lincoln  had  between  them  at  this  Riney  insti- 
tution, and  they  appear  to  have  made  good  use  of  it. 
The  brightness  of  the  pupils  was  a  pleasant  offset  to 
the  stupidity  of  the  teacher. 

Riney's  school,  for  some  reason,  was  of  short  dura- 
tion ;  it  closed  in  five  or  six  weeks.  Perhaps  the 
fountain  ran  dry  in  that  time.  Possibly  some  of  the 
scholars  knew  more  than  their  master  at  the  end  of 
that  period,  which  is  not  claiming  very  much  for  the 
pupils.  At  any  rate,  "Abe"  and  his  sister  trans- 
ferred their  destiny  to  another  "pioneer  college,"  as, 
forty  years  afterwards,  Abraham  Lincoln  facetiously 
called  those  cabin-schools  of  the  woods. 

"  Mr.  Hazel  knows  a  heap  more  than  Riney,"  said 
Mr.  Lincoln,  "  and  we  must  try  to  have  the  children 
go  to  his  school,  though  it  is  a  long  way  off." 

"  Yes ;  it  is  time  that  '  Abe  knew  something  about 
writing,*  and  Hazel  can  learn  him  that,"  Mrs.  L.  re- 
plied. "  The  children  won't  mind  the  distance.  If 
we  can  scrape  together  enough  to  pay  for  their  school- 
ing, they  ought  to  go." 

The  last  remark  touched  upon  a  subject  that  was 


34  FIOXEER  HOME    TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

often  uppermost  in  Tom  Lincoln's  mind,  —  how  to  get 
money  enough  to  pay  for  the  necessaries  of  Hfe. 
Althouirh  he  was  satisfied  with  corn-cake  and  milk 
for  daily  food,  yet  it  would  require  considerable  in- 
genuity and  economy  to  produce  the  extra  money  to 
pay  for  the  schooling  ;  so  he  replied, — 

"  I've  counted  the  cost,  and  I  guess  we  can  raise 
the  money  some  way.  Hazel  can  start  Abe  off  on 
writing,  and  that  will  be  worth  everything  to  him. 
Some  day  I  hope  to  live  in  a  country  where  I  can 
earn  something  at  my  trade." 

''  That  will  be  some  distance  from  here,  I'm  think- 
ing," replied  Mrs.  L.  *'We  can't  expect  much  growth 
in  this  part  of  the  country  at  present.  If  Indiana 
comes  into  the  Union  a  free  State,  there  may  be  a 
better  chance  there."  The  question  of  admitting 
Indiana  into  the  Union  as  a  free  State  was  then 
agitating  the  country.  The  subject  was  before  the 
American  Congress,  and  the  slave  power  was  doing 
every  thing  possible  to  prevent  such  an  event.  The 
slaveholders  of  Kentucky  were  especially  exercised 
about  it,  because  another  free  State  so  near  would  be 
an  additional  invitation  to  their  slaves  to  find  an 
asylum  there.  The  subject  was  discussed,  pro  and 
con,  in  every  Kentucky  cabin  where  white  men  dwelt. 
The  Lincolns  were  in  favor  of  making  Indiana  a  free 
State.  They  knew  full  well  that  the  curse  of  slavery 
blighted  the  prosperity  of  every  slave  State. 

"  There's  a  better  chance  for  every  thing  in  a  free 
State,"  was  Mr.  Lincoln's  only  answer. 

The  reader  must  understand  that  schools  were  very 
scarce  in  Kentucky  in  Tom  Lincoln's  day ;  and  the 


A   SCHOOLBOY.  35 


few  in  existence  were  very  poor,  scarcely  deserving  the 
name  of  schools.  They  would  not  be  tolerated  now. 
Teachers  were  no  better  than  the  schools  ;  for  it  is 
always  true,  "like  teachers,  like  schools."  Hazel's 
school  was  better  than  Riney's ;  for  Hazel  could  give 
instruction  in  ''reading  and  writing."  True,  his  ac- 
quisitions in  these  several  branches  were  small  indeed : 
they  compared  well  with  his  surroundings.  But  he 
could  give  such  a  boy  as  Abraham  a  start  in  the  right 
direction. 

Hazel's  school  was  four  miles  distant ;  and  it  was 
kept  in  a  log  schoolhouse,  the  only  one  in  all  that 
region.  To  this  pioneer  institution  Sarah  and  Abra- 
ham travelled  daily,  carrying  their  dinner  of  corn-bread, 
without  varying  it  a  single  day  during  the  eight  or  ten 
weeks  of  their  attendance.  Here  Abraham  really 
began  his  career.  Here  he  acquired  the  art  of  pen- 
manship, very  imperfectly,  of  course ;  but  he  learned 
to  form  letters,  and  became  enthusiastic  over  the 
acquirement.  Here,  too,  he  made  rapid  progress  in 
reading.  '  Mr.  Hazel  discovered  the  elements  of  a 
noble  character  in  the  boy,  and  predicted  that  he 
would  not  always  live  in  the  woods  as  his  father  had. 
The  best  evidence  we  can  find  proves  that  Abraham 
learned  about  all  Hazel  was  able  to  teach  in  the  few 
weeks  he  was  his  pupil. 

All  the  books  the  Lincoln  cabin  could  boast,  at  that 
time,  were  the  Bible,  Catechism,  and  the  copy  of  Dill- 
worth's  Spelling-Book,  that  Sarah  and  Abraham  shared 
between  them.  This  was  a  very  small  library  even  for 
a  pioneer,  but  it  was  good  as  far  as  it  went.  Any 
library  that  begins  with  the  Bible  begins  well.     The 


36         PIOXEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Catechism  and  Spelling-Book  were  suitable  compan- 
ions for  the  Book  of  books.  ''  The  three  safeguards 
of  our  country  are  the  Bible,  Sabbath,  and  Public 
School ;"  and  here  they  were  in  the  Lincoln  cabin, — 
elements  of  family  and  national  growth.  Other  things 
of  like  value  followed  in  due  time. 

The  religious  advantages  of  that  day  and  region 
were  smaller,  if  possible,  than  the  educational.  There 
was  no  worship,  nor  place  of  worship,  within  many 
miles.  ''Parson  Elkins  "  embraced  that  part  of  Ken- 
tucky in  his  circuit,  so  that  occasionally  he  preached 
in  the  Lincoln  cabin,  where  he  was  a  favorite.  Indeed, 
he  was  a  favorite  in  all  that  region,  and  was  cordially 
welcomed  by  all  settlers  who  had  any  respect  for 
religion.  With  this  exception,  public  worship  was 
unknown  among  the  pioneers  of  that  time,  and  Chris- 
tian families  were  obliged  to  depend  upon  themselves 
chiefly  for  Bible  study  and  Sabbath  observance.  As 
Mrs.  Lincoln  could  read,  and  the  Bible  was  the  only 
reading-book  in  the  family,  Abraham  often  heard  it 
read  upon  the  Sabbath,  and  other  days.  Before  he 
learned  to  read,  he  became  familiar  with  many  of  the 
narratives  of  the  Bible.  He  delighted  in  Bible  stories 
in  his  childhood,  and  never  tired  of  listening  to  their 
rehearsal.  As  soon  as  he  could  read,  the  Bible  became 
his  reading  book,  in  the  absence  of  all  others.  Over 
and  over  again  its  narrative  portions  especially  were 
read,  until  his  mind  became  stored  with  Scriptural 
knowledge.  As  he  grew  older,  and  other  reading- 
books  occupied  his  attention,  he  neglected  the  Bible 
for  them.  Still,  his  familiarity  with  it  in  his  child- 
hood rhade  an  impression  for  life.     Though  he  was  not 


A   SCHOOLBOY.  37 


a  Christian  man  when  he  entered  upon  his  pubHc 
career,  yet  he  evinced  a  remarkable  familiarity  with 
the  Scriptures.  His  conversation  and  public  addresses 
were  often  enlivened  by  quotations  and  figures  from 
the  Bible.  In  the  sequel  it  will  appear  that  this  one 
book  must  have  been  the  source  of  that  honesty,  noble 
ambition,  adherence  to  right,  and  dependence  upon 
Providence,  which  signalized  his  public  career. 

Three  incidents  of  his  life  in  the  White  House  show 
his  familiarity  with  the  Bible.  At  one  time  he  was 
very  much  annoyed,  by  men  who  complained  of  promi- 
nent officials.  To  one  of  these  parties,  he  said,  one 
day,  "  Go  home,  my  friend,  and  read  attentively  the 
tenth  verse  of  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  Proverbs." 
That  verse  is,  *'  Accuse  not  a  servant  to  his  master, 
lest  he  curse  thee,  and  thou  be  found  guilty."  General 
Fremont,  whom  he  had  relieved  of  his  command,  con- 
sented to  run  against  him  for  the  Presidency,  after 
Lincoln's  renomination  for  the  office.  A  small  follow- 
ing of  disappointed  politicians  and  military  aspirants 
rallied  around  Fremont.  About  the  time  the  latter 
withdrew  his  name,  —  satisfied  that  his  candidacy  would 
make  more  enemies  than  friends,  —  Mr.  Lincoln  said  to 
a  public  man,  who  introduced  the  subject,  **  Look  here ; 
hear  this ; "  and  he  proceeded  to  read  the  following 
from  the  First  Book  of  Samuel,  "And  every  one  that 
was  in  distress,  and  every  one  that  was  in  debt,  and 
every  one  that  was  discontented,  gathered  themselves 
unto  him,  and  he  became  captain  over  them,  and  there 
were  with  him  about  four  hundred  men." 

At  one  time  Henry  Ward  Beecher  criticized  his  ad- 
ministration sharply  in  the  "  Independent,"  of  which 


38  PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  was  the  editor-in-chief.  Several  editorials  of  this 
character  were  published  in  that  journal,  and  some  one 
cut  them  out  and  forwarded  them  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  One 
day  he  took  them  out  of  the  envelope  and  read  them 
all  through,  when  he  flung  them  upon  the  floor,  ex- 
claiming, "  Is  thy  servant  a  dog  that  he  should  do  this 
thing  t "  The  criticisms  were  based  on  falsehoods, 
and  were  therefore  unjust  and  cruel ;  hence  his  apt 
quotation  from  the  Bible. 

It  has  been  said  by  one  of  Abraham  Lincoln's  biog- 
raphers, that  his  father  had  no  interest  in  his  educa- 
tion. The  facts  already  cited  prove  such  a  conclusion 
to  be  incorrect.  A  father  and  mother  whose  poverty 
compelled  them  to  live  upon  "hoe-cake,"  must  have  had 
a  decided  interest  in  the  education  of  their  children,  to 
try  to  scrape  together  a  few  dollars  for  their  tuition  at 
school,  and  then  send  them  four  miles  on  foot  daily 
to  enjoy  the  coveted  boon!  If  that  be  indifference  to 
culture,  then  the  more  we  have  of  it  the  better.  That 
Thomas  Lincoln  and  his  pious  wife  cherished  a  strong 
desire  for  the  education  of  their  children,  there  can  be 
no  doubt ;  that  they  saw  in  their  son,  Abraham,  early 
evidence  of  remarkable  mental  powers  is  certain ; 
but  that  they  expected  he  would  ever  become  distin- 
guished as  a  public  man  is  not  true ;  for  there  was  no 
prospect  whatever  that  he  would  lift  the  incubus  of 
want  and  obscurity,  and  step  out  into  the  world  of 
renown.  Such  an  anticipation  could  not  possibly  have 
been  indulged  by  them. 

It  was  the  autumn  of  1816.  Indiana  had  been  ad- 
mitted as  a  free  State  into  the  Union,  and  immigration 


A   SCHOOLBOY.  39 


thither  had  already  set  in  as  a  consequence.  The 
excitement  over  freedom  in  Indiana  had  reached  Ken- 
tucky, as  we  have  said  already,  and  Thomas  Lincoln 
and  wife  became  interested  parties.  They  discussed 
the  question  of  removing  thither,  and  finally  decided 
in  the  affirmative,  provided  their  farm  could  be  sold. 

"As  soon  as  the  fall  work  is  through,"  was  Mr. 
Lincoln's  decision. 

''If  you  can  sell,"  added  Mrs.  L.,  with  a  significant 
emphasis  upon  the  if.  "  It's  a  hard  place  to  sell  any- 
thing here.  Perhaps  we  shall  have  to  stay  a  while 
longer." 

'*  There'll  be  somebody  to  buy,"  added  Mr.  L.,  with 
a  confident  air. 

"  Heard  anything  from  the  man  Gallaher  told 
about.?" 

''  Not  a  word  ;  but  there's  time  enough  yet." 

Neighbor  Gallaher  had  met  a  person  who  desired  to 
purchase  a  small  farm  like  Lincoln's,  and  he  had  told 
him  of  Lincoln's  desire  to  sell  in  October,  "  after  the 
fall  work  was  through."  The  man's  name  was  Colby; 
and  Mr.  Lincoln  really  expected  the  would-be  pur- 
chaser would  make  his  appearance.  His  wife  had 
little  faith  in  the  enterprise,  although  she  really  desired 
to  remove  to  Indiana.  The  difficulty  of  selling  a  farm 
at  such  a  time  and  in  such  a  place  appeared  far 
greater  to  her  than  to  her  husband. 

"  We  must  go  soon  or  not  at  all  this  year,"  added 
Mrs.  L.  *'  Winter  will  overtake  us  in  the  wilderness 
before  we  are  ready  for  it." 

"  It  will  not  take  long  to  pull  up  stakes  and  locate 
in  Indiana  when  we  once  get  started,"  responded  Mn 
Lincoln. 


40  PIOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

''  Perhaps  not  ;  but  it  will  be  time  enough  to  think 
of  that  after  we  sell,"  suggested  his  wife,  as  if  she  had 
little  faith  that  a  purchaser  of  their  farm  could  be 
found.     **\Ve  must  learn  to  labor  and  wait." 

"We've  got  that  lesson  pretty  well  learned  now," 
responded  Mr.  Lincoln.  *' About  all  I've  ever  done 
is  to  labor  and  wait ;  and  if  I  wait  much  longer  I  may 
lose  what  title  I  have  to  my  land  now,  as  others  have." 

"  That  is  not  impossible,  as  everybody  about  here 
knows,"  added  Mrs.  Lincoln. 

''The  chances  are  that  the  title  to  this  place  may 
prove  worthless,  judging  from  the  experience  of 
others,"  continued  Mr.  Lincoln.  "A  man  don't 
know  whether  he  owns  an  acre  of  land  or  not  about 
here." 

Great  excitement  prevailed  in  Kentucky  relative  to 
land-titles.  Many  settlers,  after  toiling  for  years 
for  a  livelihood,  found  their  titles  to  their  farms  de- 
fective. The  heirs  of  Daniel  Boone  were  cheated  out 
of  every  acre  of  land  purchased  by  their  illustrious  an- 
cestor. So  many  had  experienced  trouble  and  heavy 
losses  in  this  way,  that  almost  every  landholder  feared 
his  title  might  prove  invalid.  Thomas  Lincoln  shared 
this  fear  in  common  with  others.  One  of  his  biogra- 
phers maintains  that  he  removed  to  Indiana  solely  on 
this  account ;  —  that  the  curse  of  slavery  in  Kentucky, 
or  the  advantages  of  freedom  in  the  new  State  of 
Indiana,  had  nothing  to  do  with  his  decision.  But 
we  beg  leave  to  dissent  from  this  conclusion.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  uncertainty  of  land-titles  in 
Kentucky  was  one  important  reason  for  his  removal, 
but  it  was  by  no  means  the  only  reason.      Another 


A   SCHOOLBOY.  41 


reason,  without  doubt,  was  his  love  of  change.  His 
roving  disposition  was  not  entirely  eradicated.  But, 
more  than  all,  the  excitement  over  the  makins:  of 
another  free  State,  with  the  rose-colored  views  promul- 
gated concerning  the  advantages  of  a  free  State  to  poor 
men  like  himself,  influenced  him  to  make  the  change. 
It  is  positive  that  he  would  not  have  removed  to  Indiana 
at  all  had  it  come  into  the  Union  as  a  Slave  State.  The 
general  enthusiasm  over  its  admission  in  the  intefest 
of  freedom,  lured  him  thither  as  it  did  hundreds  of 
others.  The  very  rapid  immigration  to  that  State, 
commencing  immediately  after  its  admission,  is  con- 
clusive proof  of  this  statement.  The  reason  of  his 
locating  just  where  he  did  in  Indiana  was,  probably, 
because  a  former  acquaintance  —  Thomas  Carter  — 
had  removed  thither.  But  the  next  chapter  will 
disclose  the  details  of  this  affair. 


CHAPTER    III. 
THE   OLD   HOME   SOLD. 

BOUT    the    middle    of    October    (1816)   a 
stranger  appeared   at   the   cabin.      It  was 
Colby. 
*'You  want  to  sell  your  place,  I  hear,"  he 
remarked,  after  introducing  himself. 

"I'm  thinking  of  it,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln.  "Galla- 
her  told  me  that  you  would  come  to  see  me  about  it. 
So  we've  been  expecting  you,  and  rather  making 
arrangements  to  sell  the  farm.  This  is  about  what  you 
would  like  ? " 

"  Yes,  from  Mr.  Gallaher's  description  of  it.  I  can't 
handle  much  of  a  place  ;  I'm  too  poor  for  that." 

"  In  the  same  boat  with  the  rest  of  us,  then,"  sug- 
gested Mr.  Lincoln.  "  Not  much  money  in  these  dig- 
gings.    How  much  money  can  you  put  into  a  place.-*" 

**  Not  much,  just  now.  I  must  make  a  barter  trade 
if  I  buy  now.  What's  the  damage  for  such  a  place  as 
this  ? " 

"Three  hundred  dollars,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln 
promptly.     "  That  is  the  price  I've  settled  on." 

"Cash.?" 

"  Yes  ;  that's  what  I've  been  expecting,  though  I 
might  take  something  else  for  part  of  the  pay." 


THE   OLD  HOME  SOLD.  43 

"Well,  I  haven't  much  money,"  continued  Mr. 
Colby;  "but  I  have  what  is  good  as  money  in  the 
market." 

"What  is  it.?" 

"  You  see  I  've  been  specilatin'  a  little  since  I  gave 
you  a  call  in  the  summer.  I  used  up  my  grain  for 
whiskey,  and  I  bought  some,  too,  thinkin'  that  I  should 
make  a  spec  out  of  it;  but  I  hain't  sold  but  a  trifle 
on 't  yet.  Now,  if  I  could  pay  you  mostly  in  whiskey, 
I  would  strike  the  bargain  at  once ;  and  may  be  that 
over  in  Indiana  you'll  find  a  ready  market  for  it." 

"I  hadn't  thought  of  taking  pay  in  such  an  article," 
answered  Mr.  Lincoln;  "and  I  don't  know  as  I  could 
ever  sell  it.  I'm  going  to  strike  right  into  the  wilder- 
ness." 

"That  may  be;  but  you'll  have  neighbors  within  a 
few  miles ;  and  over  there  they  hain't  got  the  knack  of 
manifacturin'  it,  I  s'pose,  and  this  would  make  it  easier 
to  sell  it." 

"It's  awkward  stuff  to  carry  on  such  a  trip,  though 
I  expect  to  move  on  a  flat-boat." 

"Just  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  carry  this; 
you  can  carry  it  as  well  as  not  on  a  boat.  You  won't 
have  half  a  load  of  other  stuff.  And  it  will  bring  you 
double  there  what  it  will  here,  I'm  thinkin'." 

"That's  all  guess-work." 

"But  don't  it  stand  to  reason  that  whiskey  would 
bring  more  where  they  can't  make  it,  as  they  can  here } " 

"Yes,  I  admit  that  it  may  probably  bring  more 
there,  and  it  ought  to  bring  more  to  pay  for  the  trouble 
of  taking  it  there.  But  can't  you  turn  it  into  money 
some  way."*" 


44         PIOXEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


"I  don't  see  how  I  can ;  I've  done  the  best  I  could 
about  it.  The  fact  is,  the  folks  in  this  part  of  Ken- 
tucky have  laid  in  largely  for  whiskey.  I  can  sell  it 
in  time,  I  have  no  doubt,  at  a  stiff  price,  but  that  won't 
help  me  just  now." 

"  Of  course  not ;  but  this  is  unexpected,  though  I  'm 
determined  to  sell  out  at  some  rate.  You  look  over 
the  place ;  it 's  all  in  a  stone's  throw,  and  I  will  talk 
with  my  wife,  and  see  what  we  can  do." 

So  Lincoln  left  Colby  to  examine  the  premises,  after 
having  shown  him  the  limits  of  the  place,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  consult  his  wife.  Mrs.  Lincoln  looked  sur- 
prised and  amused  over  the  proposition  to  turn  the 
farm  into  whiskey.  "A  queer  bargain,"  she  said. 
*'  Something  I  never  dreamed  of." 

"  Nor  I ;  but  I  must  sell  the  place,  and  this  may  be 
my  last  chance  this  season." 

"That  is  very  true,  and  the  matter  must  be  looked 
at  carefully.  It  may  be  that  the  whiskey  can  be  sold 
in  Indiana  more  readily  than  we  expect.  I  scarcely 
know  what  to  say.     You  must  do  as  you  think  best." 

"Well,  I  think  it  is  best  to  sell  out  at  some  rate,  and 
if  I  thought  that  this  was  my  last  chance  to  sell  this 
fall,  I  should  take  the  whiskey,  and  run  the  risk.'* 

"As  to  that,  I  think  it  likely  that  you  won't  have 
another  chance  this  fall.  It  isn't  often  that  you  can 
sell  a  place  in  this  part  of  the  country." 

"I'm  inclined  to  think,  then,"  continued  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, musing,  with  his  eyes  fastened  upon  the  earth- 
floor  of  their  cabin,  as  if  scarcely  knowing  what  to  do, 
"that  I  shall  take  the  whiskey  if  I  can't  do  any  better 
with  him." 


THE   OLD  HOME  SOLD.  45 

"Just  as  you  think  best,"  answered  his  wife.  "You 
can  judge  better  than  I  can  whether  it  will  do  or 
not." 

After  going  to  the  man,  and  satisfying  himself  that 
he  must  take  the  whiskey,  or  fail  to  sell,  Mr.  Lincoln 
introduced  the  subject  of  the  price  of  it,  about  which 
nothing  had  been  said. 

"How  much  a  gallon .!*"  he  inquired.  "You'll  of 
course  sell  it  at  a  discount,  seeing  I  take  such  a 
quantity." 

"Certainly;  I  shall  sell  it  to  you  for  five  cents  a 
gallon  less  than  the  wholesale  price  of  a  barrel;  and 
you  can't  ask  anything  better  than  that." 

"  That 's  fair,  I  think  ;  and  now  let  me  see,  how  much 
will  it  take.''"  The  reader  must  remember  that  Mr. 
Lincoln  never  studied  arithmetic,  though  he  could 
solve  such  a  problem  as  this,  only  give  him  time.  He 
had  been  obliged  to  think  and  act  for  himself  from 
boyhood,  and,  of  course,  contact  with  men  and  things 
had  given  him  some  knowledge  of  figures,  or,  at  least, 
the  ability  to  perform  some  problems  mentally. 

Mr.  Lincoln  continued:  "Seventy  cents  a  gallon  — 
that  will  be — let  me  see  —  seventy  cents  a  gallon  — 
that  will — " 

"  Why,  one  hundred  gallons  would  come  to  seventy 
dollars,"  interrupted  Colby,  "and  four  hundred  would 
come  to  two  hundred  and  eighty  dollars." 

"Yes,  I  see  it — four  hundred  gallons,  and  the  rest 
in  money." 

"That  is  it;  it  will  make  just  ten  barrels  of  forty 
gallons  each,  and  twenty  dollars  in  money." 

"  I  see  it.     I  will  agree  to  that.     Ten  barrels,  and 


46         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  balance  in  money.     And  when  shall  we  close  the 
bargain  ? " 

"Just  as  soon  as  you  propose  to  leave." 

"That  will  be  about  the  first  of  November.  I  shall 
want  the  whiskey  and  money,  though,  a  week  before 
that,  so  as  to  be  all  ready  to  start." 

"  A  week  before  that  it  is,  then.  I  agree  to  that, 
and  shall  be  here  promptly  at  the  time.  Perhaps 
I  shall  bring  the  whiskey  before  that,  if  it  comes 
right." 

"Just  as  well,  —  as  soon  as  you  please." 

So  the  bargain  was  struck,  and  Colby  left. 

Let  the  reader  stop  here  to  ponder  this  trade.  A 
homestead  sold  for  ten  barrels  of  whiskey  and  about 
twenty  dollars  in  money  !  Surely  Abraham's  father 
could  not  boast  much  of  this  world's  goods  !  And 
then  what  an  article  to  take  in  exchange  for  a  home- 
stead !  What  a  prospect  for  his  son  !  Many  a  home- 
stead is  now  bartered  away  for  whiskey,  or  some  other 
intoxicating  beverage,  and  haggard  want  is  all  that 
remains.  But  not  so  in  this  case.  Mr.  Lincoln  did 
not  countenance  immoderate  drinking.  He  used  whis- 
key to  some  extent,  in  common  with  everybody  else, 
but  he  frowned  upon  intemperance. 

Such  a  transaction  as  the  above  was  not  thought 
singular  at  that  day.  Good  people  sold  and  drank 
whiskey.  There  was  no  temperance  movement  in 
Kentucky  at  that  time.  Indeed,  it  was  not  until  about 
that  time  that  the  subject  of  temperance  attracted 
attention  in  New  England,  and  then  it  did  not  assume 
the  form  of  total  abstinence.  The  pledge  required 
persons  to  abstain  from  immoderate  drinking.     It  was 


THE   OLD  HOME  SOLD.  47 


not  till  fifteen  years  thereafter  that  the  pledge  of  total 
abstinence  was  adopted. 

At  the  present  day  the  sale  of  a  place  for  whiskey 
would  excite  surprise  and  amazement,  and  subject  the 
character  of  the  recipient  of  the  whiskey  to  suspicion, 
at  least.  People  would  make  remarks  about  it,  and 
strongly  suspect  that  the  man  loved  whiskey  more 
than  real  estate.  But  not  so  at  that  time,  when  the 
sale  and  use  of  it  was  regarded  as  right  and  proper  in 
every  part  of  the  country. 

It  was  necessary  to  hasten  preparations  for  removal, 
as  Colby  desired  to  take  possession  as  soon  as  he 
could.  Mr.  Lincoln  must  take  his  goods  to  Indiana  by 
flat-boat,  and  return  for  his  family,  which  would  require 
time  as  well  as  despatch.  He  had  no  flat-boat,  and, 
therefore,  was  under  the  necessity  of  building  one. 
This  would  require  several  days  of  hard  labor.  He 
was  competent  for  such  an  emergency  ;  for  he  had 
constructed  and  run  a  flat-boat,  on  one  or  two  trips,  to 
New  Orleans,  in  the  company  and  employment  of 
Isaac  Bush.  His  trade  and  experience  served  him  a 
good  purpose  now. 

ArrangemiCnts  were  completed  for  the  flat-boat  trip. 
Colby  had  arrived  with  the  whiskey  and  made  a  set- 
tlement with  Lincoln  ;  and  the  singular  cargo  was 
loaded.  The  heavy  wares,  like  his  carpenter's  tools, 
pots,  kettles,  stools,  puncheon-table,  axes,  etc.,  were 
loaded  upon  the  boat  with  the  whiskey  ;  and  the  many 
other  things  necessary  to  be  done  before  "  pulling  up 
stakes,"  as  Lincoln  called  it,  were  attended  to. 

Mrs.  Lincoln,  Sarah,  and  Abraham,  who  had  watched 


48         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  progress  of  the  boat-building  with  peculiar  inter- 
est, and  seen  the  boat  launched  and  loaded,  waited 
upon  the  bank  as  the  homely  craft  was  pushed  out 
into  deep  water  and  floated  down  the  river. 

We  cannot  stop  to  detail  much  that  occurred  on  the 
voyage.     One  incident,  however,  deserves  attention. 

He  had  floated  down  the  Rolling  Fork  into  the  Ohio 
River,  and  proceeded  quite  a  distance  on  his  voyage, 
experiencing  no  perils  of  wind  or  storm  ;  and  he  was 
congratulating  himself  upon  his  success,  when  he  met 
with  an  accident.  By  some  mishap,  the  boat  tilted, 
and  the  whiskey  rolled  from  its  position  to  the  side, 
causing  him  to  upset.  He  sprung  forward  to  the 
other  side  in  order  to  save  his  boat,  but  it  was  too 
late.  The  whiskey  was  heavy,  and,  once  started  from 
its  position,  there  was  no  saving  it  or  the  boat.  In  a 
moment  he  was  tipped  into  the  water,  with  all  his 
cargo.  It  was  a  good  place  for  the  whiskey,  but  not 
so  pleasant  for  him.  However,  he  clung  to  the  boat, 
and  made  the  best  of  it. 

"  Hold  on  there !"  shouted  a  man  who  was  at  work 
with  three  others  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  "  Hold 
on,  and  we'll  come  to  your  help."  He  was  not  more 
than  three  rods  from  the  bank. 

"  Quick  as  you  can,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"We'll  be  there  in  a  jiffy,"  bawled  one  of  them, 
and  all  ran  for  a  boat  that  was  tied  about  twenty  rods 
below. 

One  of  the  number  leaped  into  it,  and,  plying  the 
oar  with  all  his  might,  he  soon  reached  the  craft  that 
was  upset,  and  took  Mr.  Lincoln  on  board. 

"  Bad  business  for  you,"  said  the  man. 


THE   OLD  HOME  SOLD.  49 

"  Not  so  bad  as  it  might  be,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln. 
"  Rather  lucky,  I  think,  to  meet  with  such  an  accident 
where  help  is  close  by." 

"  But  you've  lost  your  cargo,  though  we  may  save 
some  of  it  if  we  set  about  it." 

"  Won't  save  much  of  it,  I'm  thinking.  The  water 
is  ten  or  fifteen  feet  deep  there." 

''  Hardly  that." 

"  Pretty  near  it,  I'll  warrant." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  bank  of  the  river, 
and  the  men  were  consulting  together  about  righting 
Lincoln's  boat  and  saving  his  cargo.  Such  accidents 
were  not  uncommon  on  the  Ohio,  and  those  who  lived 
along  the  bank  had  lent  a  helping  hand  to  many  un- 
fortunate adventurers.  This  was  the  case  with  the 
men  who  came  to  Lincoln's  rescue.  They  were  not 
long  in  laying  their  plans,  nor  dilatory  in  executing 
them. 

In  a  short  time  they  secured  his  boat,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  putting  it  in  good  trim.  They  proceeded, 
also,  to  save  so  much  of  his  cargo  as  they  could. 
They  called  other  men  in  the  neighborhood,  and,  with 
such  apparatus  as  the  vicinity  afforded,  they  raked  the 
river,  and  recovered  a  part  of  his  carpenters'  tools, 
axes,  a  spider,  and  some  other  articles.  By  much  per- 
severance and  hard  labor  they  succeeded  in  saving 
three  barrels  of  the  whiskey.  All  these  articles  were 
reloaded  upon  Lincoln's  boat,  and,  with  many  thanks 
to  the  kind-hearted  men  for  their  assistance,  he  pro- 
ceeded on  his  way. 

Before  starting  again,  however,  he  consulted  the 
men  who  aided  him  with  regard  to  the  future  of  his 


50  PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

way ;  and  he  decided,  in  view  of  the  information  de- 
rived from  them,  to  land  at  Thompson's  Ferry,  and 
there  secure  a  team  to  convey  his  goods  into  the  in- 
terior. He  had  previously  settled  in  his  mind,  as  we 
have  said,  what  part  of  Indiana  he  should  make  his 
home. 

Accordingly  he  took  his  boat  and  goods  to  Thomp- 
son's Ferry,  and  there  he  found  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Posey,  whom  he  hired  to  take  him  eighteen  miles,  into 
what  is  now  Spencer  County.  This  Posey  owned  a 
yoke  of  oxen,  and  was  quite  well  acquainted  with  that 
section  of  country. 

"  No  road  into  that  county,"  said  he.  "  We  shall 
have  to  pick  our  way,  and  use  the  ax  some  at  that." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  that,"  answered  Lincoln.  ^'  Are 
there  no  settlers  in  that  region  .-*" 

**  Yes  ;  here  and  there  one,  and  they'll  be  right  glad 
to  see  you.     We  can  put  it  through,  if  you  say  so." 

"  Put  it  through,  then,  I  say,"  replied  Lincoln. 

The  man  agreed  to  carry  his  goods  to  his  place 
of  destination,  and  take  his  boat  for  pay.  Lincoln 
would  have  no  further  use  for  his  boat,  so  that  it  was 
a  good  bargain  for  him,  and  equally  good  for  Posey, 
who  wanted  a  boat. 

Accordingly,  the  team  was  loaded  with  his  effects, 
and  they  were  soon  on  their  way.  But,  within  a  few 
miles,  they  were  obliged  to  use  the  ax  to  make  a 
road. 

"Just  as  I  expected,"  said  Posey.  "I  have  been 
through  the  mill." 

"  How  far  do  you  expect  we  shall  have  to  cut 
through  places  like  this  t  "  inquired  Lincoln. 


THE   OLD  HOME  SOLD.  51 

"  Far  enough,  I  have  no  doubt ;  this  is  a  real  wil- 
derness." 

"Then,  we  must  go  at  it,  if  we'd  see  the  end  soon." 

"Yes;  and  hard  work,  too,  it  will  be."  And,  with- 
out wasting  time  or  breath  on  words,  they  proceeded  to 
cut  a  road  before  them. 

"  I've  cut  through  miles  of  just  such  a  wilderness  as 
this,"  said  Posey ;  "  and  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if  we 
had  to  cut  a  road  half  the  way." 

"  I  hope  not,"  answered  Lincoln.  "  If  I  thought 
so,  I  should  almost  wish  myself  back  in  Kentucky." 

"  Should,  hey .? " 

"  Yes ;  it  would  be  an  everlasting  job  to  cut  through 
to  where  I  am  going." 

"Well,  I  don't  suppose  it  will  be  as  tough  as  this 
much  of  the  way,  but  bad  enough,  no  doubt." 

So  with  the  resolution  of  veteran  pioneers  they 
toiled  on,  sometimes  being  able  to  pick  their  way  for  a 
long  distance  without  chopping,  and  then  coming  to  a 
stand-still  in  consequence  of  dense  forests.  Suffice  to 
say,  that  they  were  obliged  to  cut  a  road  so  much  of 
the  way  that  several  days  were  employed  in  going 
eighteen  miles.  It  was  a  difficult,  wearisome,  trying 
journey,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  often  said  that  he  never 
passed  through  a  harder  experience  than  he  did  in 
going  from  Thompson's  Ferry  to  Spencer  County, 
Indiana. 

Some  two  or  three  miles  south  of  their  place  of  des- 
tination they  passed  the  cabin  of  a  hospitable  settler, 
who  gave  them  a  hearty  welcome,  and  such  refresh- 
ments as  his  humble  abode  contained.  He  was  well 
acquainted  with  all  that  region,  too,  and  suggested  to 


52         PIOXEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Mr.  Lincoln  the  spot  upon  which  he  decided  to  erect 
his  cabin,  and  also  volunteered  to  accompany  them 
thither. 

The  settlers  at  that  day  delighted  to  see  others 
coming  to  their  vicinity  to  dwell,  thus  increasing  their 
neighbors,  and  removing  somewhat  the  loneliness  of 
pioneer  life.  They  were  ever  ready  to  lend  a  helping- 
hand  to  new-comers,  and  to  share  with  them  the  scanty 
blessings  that  Providence  allowed  them. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  glad  to  reach  the  end  of  his  jour- 
ney;  and  he  found  the  spot  suggested  by  his  new 
friend  in  the  cabin,  whose  name  was  Wood,  a  very  in- 
viting one. 

*'  Better  than  I  expected,"  said  Lincoln.  '*  I  wouldn't 
ask  for  a  better  place  than  this." 

"  I've  had  my  eye  on  it  some  time,"  replied  Wood. 

"  Chance  for  more  settlers,  though,"  continued  Lin- 
coln.    "  One  cabin  in  eighteen  miles  ain't  very  thick." 

"That's  so,"  added  Posey.  ''There's  elbow-room 
for  a  few  more  families,  and  it  won't  be  long  before 
they'll  be  here." 

**  But  you've  neighbors  nearer  than  that,"  said  Wood. 
"  There's  one  family  not  more  than  two  miles  east  of 
here." 

"  Then  I  shall  have  two  neighbors,"  said  Lincoln. 

"And  there  are  two  other  families  within  six  or 
eight  miles,  —  one  of  them  is  north,  and  the  other 
west,"  continued  Wood.  "The  fact  is,  people  are 
fiockin'  into  this  free  State  fast." 

We  must  not  dwell.  Posey  returned  with  his  team 
to  Thompson's  P'erry,  and  Mr.  Lincoln,  having  de- 
posited his  goods,  and  secured  Mr.  Wood's  promise  to 


THE   OLD  HOME  SOLD.  53 

look  after  them,  directed  his  steps  on  foot  back  to  his 
family.  It  was  about  one  hundred  miles  from  his  old 
home  in  Kentucky  to  his  new  one  in  Indiana.  This 
was  the  distance,  in  a  direct  line.  It  was  twenty-five 
miles  further,  the  way  Mr.  Lincoln  came.  It  was  a 
part  of  his  plan  to  return  on  foot.  A  direct  line, 
about  southeast,  would  bring  him  to  Hardin  County, 
—  a  three  days'  journey. 

His  family  gave  him  a  cordial  welcome,  and  Abra- 
ham was  somewhat  taken  with  the  story  of  his  father's 
adventure,  particularly  the  part  relating  to  his  plunge 
into  the  Ohio  River. 

Hasty  preparations  were  made  to  remove  the  family, 
and  such  things  as  he  did  not  take  with  him  on  the 
boat.  He  took  no  bedding  or  apparel  with  him  on 
the  boat.  These  were  left  to  go  with  the  family,  on 
horseback.  Two  horses  were  provided,  and  on  these 
were  packed  the  aforesaid  articles,  —  Mrs.  Lincoln,  her 
daughter,  and  Abraham  sometimes  riding  and  some- 
times walking. 

They  were  seven  days  in  performing  the  journey, 
camping  out  nights,  with  no  other  shelter  than  the 
starry  skies  over  them,  and  no  other  bed  than  blankets 
spread  upon  the  ground. 

It  was  a  novel  experience  even  to  them,  nor  was 
it  without  its  perils.  Yet  they  had  no  fears.  In  that 
country,  at  that  day,  neither  men  nor  women  allowed 
themselves  to  cower  in  the  presence  of  dangers. 

Females  were  not  the  timid  class  that  they  are  now. 
They  were  distinguished  for  heroism  that  was  truly 
wonderful.  Inured  as  they  were  to  hardships  and 
perils,  they  learned  to  look  dangers   steadily  in  the 


54         PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


face,  and  to  consider  great  privations  as  incidental  to 
pioneer  life.  Experiences  that  would  now  destroy  the 
happiness  of  most  of  the  sex  then  served  to  develop 
the  courage  and  other  intrepid  virtues  that  qualified 
them  for  the  mission  God  designed  they  should  fulfil. 

Many  facts  are  found  in  history  illustrating  the 
heroism  of  Western  females  in  the  early  settlement 
of  that  part  of  our  country.  Soon  after  Abraham's 
grandfather  removed  to  Kentucky,  an  Indian  entered 
the  cabin  of  a  Mr.  Daviess,  armed  with  gun  and  toma- 
hawk, for  the  purpose  of  plundering  it,  and  capturing 
the  family.  Mrs.  Daviess  was  alone  with  her  children. 
With  remarkable  presence  of  mind  she  invited  the 
Indian  to  drink,  at  the  same  time  setting  a  bottle  of 
whiskey  on  the  table.  The  Indian  set  down  his  gun 
to  pour  out  a  dram,  and  at  once  Mrs.  Daviess  seized 
it,  and,  aiming  it  at  his  head,  threatened  to  blow 
his  brains  out  if  he  did  not  surrender.  The  Indian 
dropped  the  bottle,  sat  down  upon  a  stool,  and  promised 
to  do  no  harm  if  she  would  not  fire.  In  that  position 
she  kept  him  until  her  husband  arrived. 

In  another  instance,  about  the  same  time,  the  house 
of  a  Mr.  Merrill  was  attacked  in  the  night  by  several 
Indians,  and  Mr.  Merrill  was  seriously  wounded  as  he 
went  to  the  door.  The  savages  attempted  to  enter  the 
house,  when  Mrs.  Merrill  and  her  daughter  shut  the 
door  against  them,  and  held  it.  Then  the  Indians 
hewed  away  a  part  of  the  door,  so  that  one  of  them 
could  get  in  at  a  time.  But  Mrs.  Merrill,  though  her 
husband  lay  groaning  and  weltering  in  his  blood,  and 
her  children  were  screaming  with  fright,  seized  an  ax, 
when  the  first  one  had  got  partly  into  the  room,  and 


THE   OLD  HOME  SOLD.  55 

dealt  upon  him  a  mortal  blow.  Then  she  drew  his 
body  in  and  waited  for  the  approach  of  another.  The 
Indians,  supposing  that  their  comrade  had  forced  an 
entrance,  were  exultant,  and  proceeded  to  follow  him. 
Nor  did  they  discover  their  mistake  until  she  had  des- 
patched four  of  them  in  this  way.  Then  two  of  them 
attempted  to  descend  the  chimney,  whereupon  she 
ordered  her  children  to  empty  the  contents  of  a  bed 
upon  the  fire  ;  and  the  fire  and  smoke  soon  brought 
down  two  Indians,  half  suffocated,  into  the  room.  Mr. 
Merrill,  by  a  desperate  exertion,  rose  up,  and  speedily 
finished  these  two  with  a  billet  of  wood.  At  the  same 
time  his  v/ife  dealt  so  heavy  a  blow  upon  the  only  re- 
maining Indian  at  the  door,  that  he  was  glad  to  retire. 

Volumes  might  be  filled  with  stories  that  show  the 
heroism  of  Western  women  at  that  day.  We  have 
cited  these  two  examples  simply  to  exhibit  their  forti- 
tude. Mrs.  Lincoln  was  a  resolute,  fearless  woman, 
like  her  pioneer  sisters,  and  hence  was  cool  and  self- 
possessed  amidst  all  exposures  and  dangers. 

We  said  they  were  seven  days  on  the  journey.  Two 
miles  from  their  destination  they  came  to  the  cabin  of 
their  nearest  neighbor,  Mr.  Neale,  who  treated  them 
with  great  kindness,  and  promised  to  assist  them  on 
the  following  day  in  putting  up  a  dwelling.  It  was  a 
pleasant  proffer  of  assistance,  and  it  served  to  make 
them  happier  as  they  lay  down  in  their  blankets  on  the 
first  night  of  their  residence  in  Spencer  County,  Indiana. 

We  have  been  thus  particular,  in  this  part  of  the 
narrative,  because  this  experience  had  much  to  do  with 
the  development  of  that  courage,  energy,  decision, 
and  perseverance  for  which  Abraham  was  thereafter 
distinguished. 


CHAPTER    IV. 
A  NEW   HOME   MADE. 

was  in  the  new  home  in  Indiana  that 
Abraham  began  to  be  a  genuine  pioneer 
boy.  The  ax  was  the  symbol  of  pioneer 
life;  and  here  he  began  to  swing  one  in 
dead  earnest.  From  the  time  he  was  eight  years  old 
until  he  had  past  his  majority,  he  was  accustomed  to 
the  almost  daily  use  of  the  ax.  His  physical  strength 
developed  with  wonderful  rapidity,  so  that  he  became 
one  of  the  most  efficient  wood-choppers  in  that  region. 
After  he  became  President,  and  the  *'  War  of  the 
Rebellion "  was  on  his  hands,  he  visited  the  hospi- 
tals at  City  Point,  where  three  thousand  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  were  sheltered.  He  insisted  upon 
shaking  hands  with  every  one  of  them  ;  and,  after  per- 
forming the  feat,  and  friends  were  expressing  their 
fears  that  his  arm*  would  be  lamed  by  so  much  hand- 
shaking, he  remarked,  —  "  The  hardships  of  my  early 
life  gave  me  strong  muscles."  And,  stepping  out  of 
the  open  door,  he  took  up  a  very  large,  heavy  ax 
which  lay  there  by  a  log  of  wood,  and  chopped  vigor- 
ously for  a  few  moments,  sending  the  chips  flying  in 
all  directions  ;  and,  then  pausing,  he  extended  his  right 
arm  to  its  full    length,  holding   the  ax  out    horizon- 


The  Pioneek  Boy. 


A   NEW  HOME  MADE.  5/ 

tally,  without  its  even  quivering  as  he  held  it.  Strong 
men  who  looked  on  —  men  accustomed  to  manual  labor 
—  could  not  hold  the  same  ax  in  that  position  for  a 
moment.  When  the  President  left,  a  hospital  steward 
gathered  up  the  chips,  and  laid  them  aside  carefully, 
*'  because  they  were  the  chips  that  Father  Abraham 
chopped." 

It  was  necessary  for  the  Lincoln  family  to  erect  a 
habitation  as  soon  as  possible,  and  "a  half-faced  camp" 
could  be  more  easily  and  quickly  built  than  a  cabin, 
because  it  could  be  constructed  of  "poles"  instead  of 
logs.  For  this  reason,  Mr.  Lincoln  decided  to  erect 
the  "camp"  for  a  temporary  abode,  and  the  next  year 
build  a  substantial  log-cabin.  He  could  cut  the  logs 
and  prepare  slabs  during  the  winter,  so  that  the  labor 
of  erecting  a  cabin  would  not  be  great  after  the  plant- 
ing of  the  next  spring  was  done. 

A  "half -faced  camp"  was  "a  cabin  enclosed  on  three 
sides  and  open  on  the  fourth,"  a  very  poor  habitation 
for  the  cold  winters  of  Indiana.  But  pioneers  accepted 
almost  any  device  for  a  shelter,  and  made  the  best  of 
cold,  hunger,  and  hardship. 

Abraham  began  pioneer  life  by  assisting  his  father 
in  erecting  the  "camp."  Cutting  "poles"  was  an 
easy  method  of  initiating  him  into  the  hard  work  of 
chopping  wood.  It  was  not,  however,  until  the  follow- 
ing summer  when  the  more  substantial  cabin  was 
erected,  that  Abraham  engaged  in  the  enterprise  with 
all  his  heart.  A  severe  winter  and  unusual  exposure 
caused  him  to  appreciate  a  better  habitation. 

After  "clearing  some  land,  and  planting  corn  and 
vegetables,"  in  the  spring  of    1817,  and  the  summer 


58         PIOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

work  was  well  under  way,  Mr.  Lincoln  proceeded  to 
erect  his  log-cabin.  His  nearest  neighbor  rendered 
him  essential  aid,  and  Abraham  proved  himself  very- 
efficient  for  a  boy  of  eight  years.  One  who  often 
found  shelter  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  this  cabin 
has  furnished  the  following  description  of  it :  — 

"  It  was  sixteen  by  eighteen  feet  in  size,  without  a 
floor,  the  unhewn  logs  put  together  at  the  corners  by 
the  usual  method  of  notching  them,  and  the  cracks 
between  them  stopped  with  clay.  It  had  a  shed-roof, 
covered  with  slabs  or  clapboards  split  from  logs.  It 
contained  but  one  room,  with  a  loft,  slabs  being  laid  on 
the  logs  overhead,  so  as  to  make  a  chamber,  to  which 
access  was  had  by  pins  driven  into  the  logs  in  one 
corner.  It  had  one  door  and  one  window.  The  latter, 
however,  was  so  ingeniously  constructed,  that  it  de- 
serves particular  attention.  Mr.  Lincoln  made  a  sash 
of  the  size  of  four  six-by-eight  squares  of  glass ;  and,  in 
place  of  glass,  which  could  not  be  obtained  in  that 
region,  he  took  the  skin  that  covers  the  fat  portion  of 
a  hog,  called  the  leaves,  and  drew  it  over  the  sash 
tight.  This  furnished  a  very  good  substitute  for  glass  ; 
and  the  contrivance  reflected  much  credit  upon  the  in- 
ventive genius  of  the  builder." 

The  cabin  was  furnished  by  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
Abraham,  and  we  will  give  some  account  of  the 
way  of  doing  it. 

"Bring  me  the  auger,  Abe,"  said  his  father,  "and 
that  measure,  too;  we  must  have  a  bedstead  now." 

"I  can  bore  the  holes,"  answered  Abraham,  at  the 
same  time  bringing  the  auger  and  measure. 

"No,  you  can't.     It's  tough  work  to  bore  two-inch 


A   NEW  HOME  MADE.  59 

holes  into  such  logs  as  these.     But   you  can  go  and 
find  me  a  stick  for  a  post,  and  two  others  to  lay  on  it." 

"That  all.?" 

"Yes,  that's  all.  I'll  just  make  it  in  that  corner, 
and  then  I  shall  have  but  two  holes  to  bore,  and  one 
post  to  set  up.     It's  not  more  than  an  hour's  work." 

By  making  the  bedstead  in  the  corner,  the  work  was 
but  small.  He  measured  off  eight  feet  on  one  side, 
and  bored  one  hole,  then  four  and  a  half  feet  on  the 
end,  and  bored  another  hole.  Then,  setting  up  the  post 
in  its  place,  two  sticks  from  each  auger  hole  would  meet 
on  the  post,  thus  making  the  framework  of  the  bed. 
This  was  soon  done. 

"  Now  for  the  bed-cord,  Abe,"  said  his  father,  jocosely. 
"We  must  have  something  to  lay  the  bed  on." 

"I  thought  you  laid  on  slabs,"  answered  Abraham, 
not  exactly  comprehending  the  drift  of  his  father's 
remark. 

"We  haven't  any  other  bed-cord,  so  pass  me  some  of 
those  yonder."  The  slabs  used  to  lay  over  the  bed- 
frame  were  like  those  on  the  roof. 

"How  many  shall  I  bring .-^'^  and  he  began  to  pass 
the  slabs. 

"About  six,  I  think,  will  do  it." 

They  were  soon  brought,  and  the  bed  was  complete. 

"Now,  a  sackful  of  straw  on  that  will  make  a  fine 
bed."  Dry  leaves,  hay  and  husks  were  sometimes  used 
for  this  purpose.     Few  had  feathers  in  that  region. 

"You  must  keep  on  with  your  cabinet-making,"  said 
Mrs.  Lincoln.     "We  need  a  table  as  much  as  a  bed." 

"  Of  course.  That  comes  next,"  replied  her  husband 
"  The  legs  for  it  are  all  ready." 


6o  PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Where  are  they  ?  "  inquired  Abraham. 

"  Out  there,"  pointing  to  a  small  pile  of  limbs,  sticks, 
and  slabs.  Abraham  went  after  them,  while  his  father 
sawed  off  a  puncheon  of  the  required  length  for  the 
table.  A  puncheon  was  made  by  splitting  a  log  eigh- 
teen inches,  more  or  less,  in  diameter,  the  flat  side  laid 
uppermost.  Puncheons  were  used  in  this  way  to  make 
tables,  stools,  and  floors. 

By  the  time  Abraham  had  brought  the  sticks  for  the 
legs  of  the  table,  his  father  had  the  table  part  all  ready, 
and  was  proceeding  to  bore  the  holes  for  the  legs. 

*'  Now  you  may  bring  some  more  of  those  sticks  in 
the  pile,  —  the  shortest  of  them  I  shall  want  next." 

"What  for?" 

"  Oh,  we  must  have  some  chairs  now ;  we've  sat  on 
the  ground  long  enough.     I  want  the  sticks  for  legs." 

"  Enough  for  one  stool  each  now  will  do.  We'll  make 
some  extra  ones  when  we  get  over  our  hurry.  Four 
times  three  are  twelve  ;  I  shall  want  twelve." 

"Must  they  be  just  alike  t  " 

"  No  ;  you  can't  find  two  alike,  hardly.  If  they  are 
too  long,  I  can  saw  them  the  right  length." 

All  this  time  the  work  of  making  the  table  went  on. 
As  Abraham  had  so  large  a  number  of  stool-legs  to 
select  and  bring  from  the  pile,  the  table  was  nearly 
completed  when  his  part  of  the  work  was  done. 

"A  scrumptious  table,  I'm  thinking,"  said  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, as  he  surveyed  it  when  it  was  fairly  on  its  legs. 
"  Pioneer  cabinet-work  ain't  handsome,  but  it's  dura- 
ble." 

"And  useful,  too,"  said  his  wife.  "Two  of  them 
wouldn't  come  amiss." 


A   NEW  HOME  MADE.  6l 

"  No ;  and  when  I  get  time  we'll  have  another. 
Perhaps  Abe  can  make  you  one  some  time.  Can't 
you  make  a  table,  Abe  "i  " 

''  I  can  try  it." 

**  Well,  you  ought  to  succeed,  now  you  have  seen  me 
do  it.  You  can  try  your  hand  at  it  some  day.  But 
now  for  the  stools." 

A  good  slab  was  selected,  of  which  four  stools  could 
be  made ;  and  before  night  the  house  was  furnished  at 
small  expense.  A  bed,  table,  and  stools  constituted 
the  furniture  of  this  pioneer  home,  in  which  Abraham 
spent  twelve  years  of  his  eventful  life. 

Abraham  occupied  the  loft  above,  ascending  to  his 
lodgings  by  the  ladder.  It  was  his  parlor-chamber, 
where  he  slept  soundly  at  night  on  the  loose  floor, 
with  no  other  bedding  than  blankets.  Here,  year 
after  year,  he  reposed  nightly  with  as  much  content 
and  bliss  as  we  usually  find  in  the  mansions  of  the 
rich.  He  had  never  known  better  fare  than  this  ;  and 
perhaps,  at  that  age,  he  did  not  expect  a  larger  share 
of  worldly  goods. 

By  this  time  the  loss  of  the  family  by  the  accident 
on  the  Ohio  River  was  nearly  made  good,  except  one 
or  two  iron  kettles,  and  a  little  very  poor  crockery. 
The  puncheon  table  and  stools  were  replaced  by  better 
ones.  Through  the  winter  and  spring,  the  family  had 
got  along  as  they  could,  anticipating  an  improved  con- 
dition in  the  autumn. 

The  pioneer  families  of  that  day  needed  the  means 
of  converting  their  corn  into  meal.  Meal  was  a  staple 
article  of  food,  without  which  they  could  scarcely  sur- 
vive, but  there  were  few  grist  mills  in  all  the  region 


^2  PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

for  many  miles  around.  The  nearest  was  Thompson's 
Ferry,  where  Lincohi  landed  on  his  way  to  Indiana. 
They  were  hand-mills,  and  could  grind  but  little  faster 
than  corn  could  be  pounded  into  meal  with  mortar 
and  pestle. 

"  I'll  have  a  mill  of  my  own,"  remarked  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  How  }  "  inquired  Abraham. 

"  You'll  see  when  it  is  done.  This  going  eighteen 
miles  to  mill  don't  pay :  we  must  have  one  right  here." 

**  And  it  won't  take  you  longer  to  make  one  than  it 
would  to  go  to  the  ferry  once  and  back,"  said  Mrs. 
Lincoln. 

"It's  an  all-day  job  to  go  there,  and  a  pretty  long 
day  at  that."  She  knew  what  kind  of  a  mill  he  re- 
ferred to,  for  she  had  seen  them. 

**  We'll  have  one  before  to-morrow  night,"  added 
Mr.  Lincoln,  with  a  shrug  of  the  shoulder. 

"How  will  you  make  it.''"  inquired  Abraham,  who 
was  growing  interested. 

"  You'll  see  when  it's  done :  I  shall  need  some  of 
your  help,  and  if  you  do  first  rate,  you  may  try  the  rifle 
some  day."  The  boy  had  been  promised  before  that 
he  should  learn  to  shoot. 

"  I  like  that,"  said  the  lad. 

"And  so  shall  I,  if  you  make  a  marksman.  You 
can  be  a  great  help  to  us  by  killing  game  to  cook. 
When  you  get  so  that  you  can  pop  over  a  turkey  or  a 
deer,  I  sha'n't  need  to  hunt  any." 

"  Will  you  let  me  do  it }  " 

"  Yes,  and  be  glad  to  have  you.  The  woods  are  full 
of  game,  and  you  shall  have  a  chance  to  make  a  good 
shot" 


A   NEW  HOME  MADE.  63 

Abraham  was  delighted  with  the  prospect  of  mak- 
ing a  gunner,  and  he  went  to  his  hard  bed  that  night 
with  glowing  thoughts  of  the  future.  The  morrow's 
sun  found  him  up  and  ready  to  assist  his  father  in 
making  a  grist-mill. 

"The  first  thing  is  a  log,"  said  his  father;  and  he 
proceeded  to  look  for  a  tree  of  suitable  dimensions ; 
nor  was  he  long  in  finding  one. 

"  When  I  get  it  ready,  I  shall  want  you  to  make  a 
fire  on't,  Abe,"  he  continued. 

"  What !  burn  it  up  }  "  screamed  the  boy,  not  under- 
standing what  his  father  meant. 

"  Ha!  not  quite  so  bad  as  that.  It  wouldn't  be  worth 
much  for  a  mill  if  'twas  burnt  up." 

"  Didn^t  you  say  make  a  fire  on  it !" 

"  Yes,  on  the  top  of  it ;  we  must  burn  a  hole  in  it  a 
foot  deep,  to  put  corn  in  ;  so  get  your  fire  ready." 

It  was  not  long  before  the  tree  was  prostrate,  and 
a  portion  of  the  trunk  cut  off  about  four  feet  long. 
Setting  it  upon  one  end,  Mr.  Lincoln  continued, 
"  Here,  Abe,  that's  what  I  mean  by  making  a  fire 
on't.  You  must  make  a  fire  right  on  the  top  of  it, 
and  burn  a  hole  in  it  well  nigh  a  foot  deep.  I'll  help 
you." 

The  fire  was  soon  kindled,  and  Abraham's  curiosity 
was  at  the  highest  pitch.  What  was  coming  next  was 
more  than  he  could  tell, —  and  no  wonder. 

"  Now,  bring  some  water ;  we  must  keep  it  wet." 

**  And  put  out  the  fire  .-* "  said  Abraham,  inquiringly. 

"  No,  no  ;  we  must  keep  the  outside  of  it  wet,  so 
that  the  whole  of  it  won't  burn.  We  don't  want  to 
burn  the  outside  —  only  a  hole  in  the  centre." 


64         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Abraham  saw  through  it  now,  and  he  hastened  to 
get  the  water.  The  fire  w^as  kept  burning  while  Mr. 
Lincoln  looked  up  a  spring-pole,  to  one  end  of  which 
he  attached  a  pestle. 

"What  is  that  for.?"  asked  Abraham. 

*'  You'll  see  when  I  get  it  into  working  order,"  re- 
plied his  father.  "  Keep  the  fire  a-going  till  it's  burnt 
deep  enough." 

"  It'll  never  burn  as  deep  as  you  say." 

"Yes,  it  will,  only  keep  doing.  That's  the  way 
pioneers  have  to  make  grist  mills." 

"  It'll  take  more  than  one  day  to  burn  it  anyhow,  at 
this  rate." 

"  No,  it  won't.  It  will  burn  faster  when  it  gets  a 
little  deeper.  We'll  have  it  done  before  night.  You 
must  have  patience  and  keep  at  it." 

And  they  continued  at  the  work.  Mr.  Lincoln  pre- 
pared the  spring-pole  somewhat  like  an  old-fashioned 
well-sweep ;  and  it  was  ready  for  use  before  the  hole 
was  burned  deep  enough  in  the  log.  Then,  with  his 
additional  help,  the  log  was  ready  before  night,  and 
the  coal  was  thoroughly  cleaned  out  of  the  hole,  and 
the  pestle  on  the  pole  adapted  thereto. 

This  was  all  the  mill  that  he  proposed  to  have.  It 
was  the  kind  used  by  many  settlers  at  that  day.  It 
was  a  mortar  and  pestle  on  a  large  scale,  and,  on  the 
whole,  was  much  better  than  to  go  twenty  miles  to  a 
real  mill  that  could  grind  but  little  faster.  About 
two  quarts  of  corn  could  be  put  into  the  hole  in  the 
log  at  once,  and  a  few  strokes  from  the  pestle  on  the 
spring-pole  would  reduce  it  to  meal.  In  this  way  the 
family  could  be  provided  with  meal  at  short  notice. 


A   NEW  HOME  MADE.  65 

The  apparatus,  too,  corresponded  very  well  with  all  the 
surroundings.  For  a  Dutch  oven  and  spider  consti- 
tuted the  culinary  furniture  of  the  cabin.  All  their 
other  articles  of  iron-ware  were  at  the  bottom  of  the 
Ohio  River.  The  spider  was  used  for  griddle,  stew- 
pan,  gridiron,  kettle,  and  sundry  other  things,  in  addi- 
tion to  its  legitimate  purpose  ;  proving  that  man's  real 
wants  are  few  in  number.  It  is  very  convenient  to 
be  provided  with  all  the  modern  improvements  in 
this  line  ;  but  the  experience  of  the  Lincoln  family 
shows  that  happiness  and  life  can  be  promoted  with- 
out them. 

This  mill  served  the  family  an  excellent  purpose  for 
several  years.  It  was  so  simple  that  it  needed  no  re- 
pairs, and  it  was  not  dependent  either  on  rain  or  sun- 
shine for  the  power  to  go.  Any  of  the  family  could 
go  to  mill  here.  Abraham  could  carry  a  grist  on  his 
arm  and  back,  and  play  the  part  of  miller  at  the  same 
time. 

The  Lincoln  family  was  not  fairly  settled  in  Indiana 
until  they  moved  into  their  new  log-cabin  in  the  autumn 
of  18 1 7.  By  that  time,  Abraham  had  become  a 
thorough  pioneer  boy.  He  had  made  considerable 
improvement,  too,  in  "reading  and  writing."  The 
impulse  that  Hazel  gave  him  in  Kentucky  was  not  lost 
in  Indiana.  The  three  books  of  the  family  library 
continued  to  supply  his  intellectual  wants. 

During  the  long  winter  evenings  of  that  first  winter 
in  Indiana,  he  read  by  the  light  of  the  fire ;  for  they 
could  not  afford  the  luxury  of  any  other  light  in  their 
cabin.  This  was  true,  very  generally,  of  the  pioneer 
families  :  they  had  no  more  than  was  absolutely  neces- 


66         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

sary  to  supply  their  wants.  They  could  exist  without 
lamp-oil  or  candles,  and  so  most  of  them  did  without 
either.  They  could  afford  the  largest  fire  possible, 
since  wood  was  so  plenty  that  they  studied  to  get  rid 
of  it.  Hence  the  light  of  the  fire  was  almost  equal  to 
a  good  chandelier.  Large  logs  and  branches  of  wood 
were  piled  together  in  the  fireplace,  and  its  mammoth 
blaze  lighted  up  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  dwelling. 
Hence  lamps  were  scarcely  needed. 

He  practised  penmanship  with  a  charred  stick  on  the 
bark  of  trees  and  on  slabs.  In  the  winter,  he  wrote 
his  name  in  the  snow  with  a  stick  ;  and,  in  the  summer, 
he  wrote  it  on  the  ground  in  the  garden.  In  this  way 
he  increased  his  ability  to  write,  along  with  his  ability 
to  read.  Still,  we  can  scarcely  conceive  of  a  more 
unpromising  situation  for  a  bright  boy. 

The  exact  location  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  cabin  was 
between  the  forks  of  Big  Pigeon  and  Little  Pigeon 
Creeks,  one  mile  and  a  half  from  what  is  now  the 
village  of  Gentryville.  His  cabin  was  surrounded  with 
a  dense  forest  of  oaks,  walnuts,  sugar-maples,  and  other 
varieties  of  trees  found  in  the  woods  of  North  America. 
The  trees  were  of  the  largest  growth,  affording  a  refuge 
and  shelter  for  birds  and  beasts,  which  abounded  here. 
Deer  and  wild  turkeys  furnished  abundant  food  for  the 
settlers,  whose  experience  with  the  rifle  was  their 
assurance  of  enough  to  eat.  Lincoln  was  expert  with 
the  rifle,  and  in  the  forests  of  Indiana  game  met  him 
on  every  hand.  There  was  a  small  open  space,  or 
prairie,  within  a  short  distance  from  his  cabin,  where 
the  deer  resorted  ;  and  here  he  made  many  a  good  shot 
to  supply  his  larder  with  venison. 


A   NEW  HOME  MADE.  6y 

The  situation  of  his  cabin  was  all  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
could  desire.  There  was  one  drawback,  however, — 
there  was  no  spring  of  water  within  a  mile.  One  of 
the  most  fatiguing  "chores"  that  Abraham  and  his 
sister  did,  in  those  days  of  hardship,  was  to  bring  water 
from  the  spring,  one  mile  away.  This  need  was  sub- 
sequently supplied  in  some  way.  Dennis  Hanks  says 
that  Mr.  Lincoln  "  riddled  his  land  like  a  honeycomb  " 
in  search  of  water ;  and,  perhaps,  he  found  it  through 
this  ''riddling"  process.  There  is  a  story  that  he  em- 
ployed a  Yankee  with  a  divining-rod,  who  directed  him 
to  excellent  water  for  five  dollars ;  but  it  is  only  a 
story. 

How  he  obtained  possession  of  this  farm  is  explained 
by  Dennis  Hanks,  who  says,  "  He  settled  on  a  piece  of 
government  land,  —  eighty  acres.  The  land  he  after- 
wards bought  under  the  Two-Dollar  Act ;  was  to 
pay  for  it  in  instalments  ;  one-half  he  paid,  the  other 
half  he  never  paid,  and  finally  lost  the  whole  of  the 
land." 

We  have  said  that  Mr.  Lincoln  settled  in  Spencer 
County.  The  location  of  his  cabin  was  in  Perry  County ; 
but,  within  a  few  years,  through  increasing  immigration 
and  rapid  changes  and  improvements,  he  found  himself 
in  Spencer  County,  with  the  court-house  at  Rockport 
and  the  village  of  Gentryville  springing  up  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  distant.  Nine  years  after  he  settled  in 
Indiana,  a  post-office  was  established  at  Gentryville. 

David  Turnham,  who  was  a  boy  with  Abraham  in 
Spencer  County,  furnishes  an  interesting  account  of 
that  country  when  he  first  removed  thither,  as  follows  : 

"When  my  father  came  here  in  the  spring  of  1819, 


68         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  settled  in  Spencer  County,  within  one  mile  of 
Thomas  Lincoln,  then  a  widower.  The  chance  for 
schooling  was  poor ;  but,  such  as  it  was,  Abraham  and 
myself  attended  the  same  schools. 

"  We  first  had  to  go  seven  miles  to  mill ;  and  then  it 
was  a  hand-mill  that  would  grind  from  ten  to  fifteen 
bushels  of  corn  in  a  day.  There  was  but  little  wheat 
grown  at  that  time ;  and,  when  we  did  have  wheat,  we 
had  to  grind  it  on  the  mill  described,  and  use  it  without 
bolting,  as  there  were  no  bolts  in  the  country.  In  the 
course  of  two  or  three  years,  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Huffman  built  a  mill  on  Anderson  River,  about  twelve 
miles  distant.  Abe  and  I  had  to  do  the  milling  on 
horseback,  frequently  going  twice  to  get  one  grist. 
Then  they  began  building  horse-mills  of  a  little  better 
quality  than  the  hand-mills. 

**  The  country  was  very  rough,  especially  in  the  low- 
lands, so  thick  with  bush  that  a  man  could  scarcely 
get  through  on  foot.  These  places  were  called  Roughs. 
The  country  abounded  in  game,  such  as  bears,  deer, 
turkeys,  and  the  smaller  game. 

"  At  that  time  there  were  a  great  many  deer-licks ; 
and  Abe  and  myself  would  go  to  these  licks  sometimes, 
and  watch  of  nights  to  kill  deer,  though  Abe  was  not 
so  fond  of  a  gun  as  I  was.  There  were  ten  or  twelve  of 
these  licks  in  a  small  prairie  on  the  creek,  lying  between 
Mr.  Lincoln's  and  Mr.  Wood's. 

"The  people  in  the  first  settling  of  this  country  were 
very  sociable,  kind,  and  accommodating;  but  there 
was  more  drunkenness  and  stealing  on  a  small  scale, 
more  immorality,  less  religion,  less  well-placed  con- 
fidence." 


A   NEW  HOME  MADE,  69 

Mr.  Turnham's  allusion  to  the  prevalence  of  drunken- 
ness, at  that  day,  renders  it  necessary  to  state  that  the 
prevalence  of  this  evil  was  the  source  of  much  anxiety 
to  Mrs.  Lincoln.  The  danger  to  her  boy  was  immi- 
nent ;  and  many  a  word  of  warning  and  counsel  dropped 
from  her  lips  into  his  young  ears.  When  Abraham 
began  his  public  career,  and  he  fearlessly  and  firmly 
avowed  his  total  abstinence  principles,  he  said  that  he 
owed  much  to  one  counsel  of  his  mother;  viz.,  "Men 
become  drunkards  because  they  begin  to  drink ;  if  you 
never  begin  to  drink,  you  will  never  become  a  drunkard." 

The  sagacity  and  wisdom  of  the  mother  in  this 
striking  remark  will  not  appear  to  the  reader  until  it 
is  remembered  that,  at  that  day,  there  was  not  a  total 
abstinence  society  or  pledge  in  the  world.  Mrs.  Lin- 
coln had  never  heard  of  a  temperance  movement ;  for, 
indeed,  there  had  been  none,  except  on  the  smallest 
scale,  in  a  few  localities.  Yet,  she  proposed  the  only 
safeguard  to  her  boy,  ^  one  that  proved  of  inestimable 
value  to  him,  as  he  publicly  and  privately  acknowledged 
many  years  thereafter. 

We  have  given  in  detail  the  time,  place,  and  circum- 
stances of  Abraham's  discipline  in  early  life,  that  the 
reader  may  appreciate  the  force  of  character  which 
lifted  the  incubus  of  poverty  and  obscurity,  and  made 
him  famous  in  the  world. 


CHAPTER    V. 

AFTER    GAME. 


[T  was  in  the  spring  of  1817,  when  Thomas 
Lincoln  was  preparing  to  put  his  first  seed 
into  the  soil  of  Indiana,  that  Abraham  made 
his  first  shot  at  game.  His  parents  were 
discussing  the  old  subject  —  their  loss  on  the  Ohio 
River  ;  when  Mrs.  Lincoln  remarked,  — 

"  I'm  thoroughly  convinced  that  our  loss  was  all  for 
the  best.     I  think  I  can  see  it." 

**Glad  if  you  can,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln,  **  you're 
pretty  good  for  seeing  what  nobody  else  can  ;"  and  he 
uttered  this  sentence  rather  thoughtlessly,  as  his  mind 
was  really  absorbed  in  another  subject. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that ;  but  what  in  the  world 
would  you  have  done  with  all  the  whiskey,  if  we  had 
not  lost  any  of  it  in  the  river  .-*  Never  could  sell  it  all 
here,  —  and  what  a  job  it  would  have  been  to  get  it 
here  from  the  Ferry  !  " 

"  Well,  if  I  didn't  sell  it,  we  should  be  about  as  well 
off  as  we  are  now." 

**  Except  the  cost  of  getting  the  barrels  here." 

"That  wouldn't  be  much." 

**  Then  there's  the  danger  of  the  evil  it  might  do. 
It's  dangerous  stuff  any  way,  as  the  case  of  many 
men  shows." 


AFTER  GAME.  71 


**  I  know  that ;  but  I  don't  fear  for  myself." 

"  Neither  do  I  fear  for  you  ;  but  I  was  thinking  of 
Abe.  You  know  how  it  is  with  boys  in  these  times, 
and  how  much  misery  whiskey  makes  in  a  great  many 
famihes.  And  I  can't  help  thinking  that  it  is  all  for 
the  best  that  most  of  it  is  in  the  river." 

"  I  can't  say  but  what  it  is  ;  I  hope  it  is.  It  makes 
mischief  enough,  if  that's  all ;  and  if  I  dreamed  it 
would  make  any  in  my  family,  I  should  wish  that  all 
of  it  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  river." 

"  You  may  as  well  be  glad  now ;  for  we  have  less  to 
fear;  and  perhaps  the  Lord  thought  it  was  best  to  put 
so  much  of  it  where  it  could  injure  no  one." 

*'  So  be  it,  then  ;  but  I  must  go  to  my  work.  This 
weather  is  too  fine  to  be  lost  in  doing  nothing.  The 
stuff  is  all  sold  now,  so  that  there  is  no  fear  on  that 
score."  He  sold  a  barrel  to  Posey,  the  teamster,  who 
hauled  his  goods  from  the  Ferry,  and  the  remainder 
he  disposed  of  in  the  course  of  the  winter. 

Mr.  Lincoln  arose  and  went  out  to  his  work,  and 
within  ten  minutes  afterwards  Abraham  came  rushing 
into  the  cabin  in  a  state  of  great  excitement. 

"  Mother,"  he  exclaimed,  ''  there's  a  flock  of  turkeys 
right  out  here  that  I  can  shoot.  See  there,"  and  he 
directed  her  to  look  through  a  crack  in  the  cabin  where 
the  clay  had  fallen  off.     "  Let  me  shoot,  mother." 

"Sure  enough,  Abe,  there  is  a  flock,"  responded  his 
mother,  as  she  caught  sight  of  the  turkeys ;  "a  fine 
shot  it  is,"  and  she  hastened  for  the  rifle  that  was 
always  kept  loaded. 

"Be  quick,  mother,  I'll  fire  right  through  the  hole," 
continued  Abe,  under  increasing  excitement. 


72         PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

His  mother  was  not  long  in  bringing  the  rifle,  and 
adjusting  it  through  the  loop-hole  between  the  logs, 
when,  with  a  few  quick  words  of  caution,  she  allowed 
him  to  fire. 

**Bang!"  went  the  rifle,  and  resounded  through  the 
forest  with  unusual  volume,  as  Abraham  thought  in 
his  intense  earnestness.  Both  mother  and  son  ran  out 
to  discover  the  result  of  the  shot,  and  by  the  time  they 
reached  the  spot,  the  smoke  had  cleared  away,  and 
there  lay  one  of  the  flock  dead. 

"Killed  one,"  shouted  Abraham,  as  he  lifted  an  extra 
large  turkey  from  the  ground. 

"So  you  have,"  answered  his  mother,  under  almost 
as  much  excitement  as  her  son. 

"A  monster!"  continued  the  lad,  surveying  the 
lusty  fellow  with  boyish  pride.  "Did  you  ever  see 
such  a  big  one  t  " 

"  It  is  a  very  large  one,"  replied  his  mother;  "that 
was  a  good  shot,  Abe." 

By  this  time  Mr.  Lincoln  had  reached  the  spot. 
Hearing  the  report  of  the  gun,  he  left  his  work,  and 
hurried  back  to  learn  the  cause. 

"  What's  the  firing  for  1 "  he  asked  hurriedly. 

"I've  killed  a  turkey,"  answered  Abraham,  exhibit- 
ing in  triumph  the  dead  bird. 

"  Did  you  do  that,  Abe  }  " 

"  Nobody  else  did  it,"  was  the  boy's  rather  char- 
acteristic reply. 

"  A  capital  shot,  Abe  ;  you'll  make  a  good  one  with 
the  rifle  if  you  keep  on,"  his  father  added,  intending  to 
praise  the  boy.  The  fact  was  it  was  not  a  capital  shot 
at  all :  he  accidentally  killed  the  turkey.     He  did  not 


AFTER  GAME.  73 


understand  the  use  of  a  gun  well  enough  to  make  a 
"capital  shot."  The  turkey  happened  to  sit  in  the 
way  of  the  bullet,  and  was  killed  in  consequence  — 
that  was  all  there  was  of  it. 

We  have  already  said  that  pioneer  families  were 
dependent  upon  game  for  food.  On  this  account 
fathers  and  sons  became  good  marksmen,  and  even 
females  were  often  expert  with  the  rifle.  Mrs.  Lincoln 
could  load  and  fire  off  a  gun  if  necessary.  In  common 
with  her  sex,  she  was  accustomed  to  such  things,  and 
adapted  herself  to  circumstances. 

Marvellous  stories  are  told  about  the  skill  of  the 
pioneers  in  the  use  of  the  rifle,  and  good  authority 
substantiates  their  truthfulness.  One  writer  says : 
"  Several  individuals  who  conceive  themselves  adepts 
in  the  management  of  the  rifle,  are  often  seen  to  meet 
for  the  purpose  of  displaying  their  skill ;  and  they  put 
up  a  target,  in  the  centre  of  which  a  common-sized 
nail  is  hamm.ered  for  about  two-thirds  its  length.  The 
marksmen  make  choice  of  what  they  consider  a  proper 
distance,  and  which  may  be  forty  paces.  Each  man 
clears  the  interior  of  his  tube,  places  a  ball  in  the 
palm  of  his  hand,  and  pours  as  much  powder  from  his 
horn  as  will  cover  it.  This  quantity  is  supposed  to  be 
sufficient  for  any  distance  short  of  a  hundred  yards. 
A  shot  that  comes  very  close  to  the  nail  is  considered 
that  of  an  indifferent  marksman  :  the  bending  of  the 
nail  is  of  course  somewhat  better ;  but  nothing  less 
than  hitting  it  right  on  the  head  is  satisfactory.  One 
out  of  three  shots  generally  hits  the  nail ;  and  should 
the  shooters  amount  to  half  a  dozen,  two  nails  are  fre- 
quently needed  before  each  can  have  a  shot." 


74         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  same  writer  continues  :  **  The  snuffing  of  a 
candle  with  a  ball  I  first  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
near  the  banks  of  Green  River,  not  far  from  a  large 
pigeon-roost,  to  which  I  had  previously  made  a  visit. 
I  had  heard  many  reports  of  guns  during  the  early  part 
of  a  dark  night,  and  knowing  them  to  be  those  of  rifles, 
I  went  forward  toward  the  spot  to  ascertain  the  cause. 
On  reaching  the  place,  I  was  welcomed  by  a  dozen 
tall,  stout  men,  who  told  me  they  were  exercising  for 
the  purpose  of  enabling  them  to  shoot  under  night,  at 
the  reflected  light  from  the  eyes  of  a  deer  or  wolf  by 
torchlight.  A  fire  was  blazing  near,  the  smoke  of 
which  rose  curling  among  the  thick  foliage  of  the 
trees.  At  a  distance  which  rendered  it  scarcely  dis- 
tinguishable, stood  a  burning  candle,  but  which,  in 
reality,  was  only  fifty  yards  from  the  spot  on  which 
we  all  stood.  One  man  was  within  a  few  yards  of  it 
to  watch  the  effects  of  the  shots,  as  well  as  to  light 
the  candle,  should  it  chance  to  go  out,  or  to  replace  it, 
should  the  shot  cut  it  across.  Each  marksman  shot 
in  his  turn.  Some  never  hit  either  the  snuff  or  the 
candle,  and  were  congratulated  with  a  loud  laugh, 
while  others  actually  snuffed  the  candle  without 
putting  it  out,  and  were  recompensed  for  their  dex- 
terity by  numerous  hurrahs.  One  of  them,  who  was 
particularly  expert,  was  very  fortunate,  and  snuffed  the 
candle  three  times  out  of  seven,  while  all  the  other  shots 
either  put  out  the  candle  or  cut  it  immediately  under 
the  light." 

Such  was  the  skill  of  riflemen  at  that  day.  Hence 
it  was  of  considerable  importance  that  boys  should 
learn    how   to    fire    accurately.       Not    as  a   pastime 


AFTER  GAME.  75 


was  it  valued,  but  as  a  means  of  gaining  subsistence. 
In  addition  to  procuring  game  for  the  table,  furs  were 
in  great  demand,  and  there  were  many  animals  valu- 
able on  this  account.  It  was  necessary,  therefore, 
that  Abraham  should  learn  the  art. 

The  summer  of  1817  passed  away,  and  early  in  the 
autumn  the  loneliness  of  their  wilderness-life  was 
somewhat  relieved  by  the  coming  of  old  friends. 
Thomas  and  Betsy  Sparrow,  who  reared  Nancy  Hanks 
(Mrs.  Lincoln),  came  to  settle  by  their  side.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln bad  just  removed  into  his  new  cabin,  so  the 
Sparrows  at  once  began  housekeeping  in  the  half-face 
camp.  Dennis  Hanks,  also,  had  a  home  with  the 
Sparrows,  and  Betsy  was  his  aunt ;  so  Dennis  re- 
moved to  Indiana  with  them. 

It  was  a  happy  day  for  the  Lincolns  when  the 
Sparrows  became  their  neighbors.  **  Sparrows  on 
the  house-top,"  had  often  regaled  them  with  song,  but 
the  human  Sparrows  from  Kentucky  were  to  them 
more  than  song  —  they  were  society.  To  Abraham 
especially  was  their  coming  a  real  godsend  ;  for  now 
he  had  an  intimate  and  constant  companion  in  his  jolly 
cousin,  Dennis  Hanks.  Such  an  acquisition  to  a  boy 
in  the  woods  was  more  of  a  boon  than  language  can 
describe. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

DARKER    DAYS. 

I  BR  AH  AM  continued  to  peruse  the  three 
books  of  the  family  Hbrary,  —  the  Bible, 
Catechism,  and  Spelling-Book.  There  was 
no  prospect  that  another  book  of  any  sort 
would  be  added  to  the  number.  The  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge begotten  in  his  soul  already  was  forced  to  find 
its  aliment  in  this  narrow  compass.  The  result  was, 
that  he  knew  the  Spelling-Book  and  Catechism  by 
heart ;  and  he  could  repeat  much  of  the  Bible.  His 
mind  was  hungry  for  knowledge ;  but  could  not  find 
enough  to  eat.  It  was  daily  put  upon  *'  short  allow- 
ance." 

In  these  circumstances  he  longed  for  other  books. 
He  began  to  tire  of  the  Bible.  *'  I  don't  want  to  read 
the  Bible  all  the  time,"  he  often  remarked;  "I  wish  I 
could  have  some  other  book  to  read."  He  did  not 
know  what  other  books  were  in  existence.  His  parents 
were  not  wiser  than  he  in  that  respect.  But  his  mind 
was  ravenous,  and  would  have  accepted  almost  any 
sort  of  a  literary  dish,  good,  bad,  or  indifferent.  It 
pleaded  for  books. 

While  he  was  in  this  famishing  intellectual  state,  a 
fearful  disease  broke  out  among  the  settlers,  called 


DARKER  DAYS.  yj 


"the  milk  disease."  Cows  that  gave  the  milk,  and  the 
people  who  drank  it,  became  sick,  suffered,  and  died. 
The  first  case  was  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  away,  but 
near  enough  to  create  alarm  in  the  Lincoln  cabin.  It 
was  not  long,  however,  before  the  dreaded  visitor  came 
to  their  door.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sparrow  were  stricken 
down  by  the  disease  nearly  at  the  same  time.  It  was 
in  the  summer  of  1818.  Consternation  now  turned 
the  attention  of  Abraham  from  books  to  the  perils  of 
the  hour.  His  longing  for  other  books  was  exchanged 
for  fear  of  sudden  death. 

The  Sparrows  were  very  sick,  and  no  doctor  within 
thirty  or  forty  miles.  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  wife,  to- 
gether with  other  settlers,  rendered  all  the  assistance 
in  their  power  to  the  ill-fated  couple.  Week  after  week 
their  sufferings  were  prolonged,  sometimes  worse,  some- 
times better,  hope  rising  or  waning  accordingly. 

"We  must  remove  them  into  our  cabin,"  said  Mrs. 
Lincoln  to  her  husband  ;  "  they  must  have  better 
quarters  and  care."  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sparrow  were 
as  father  and  mother  to  Mrs.  Lincoln,  and  her  love 
for  them  was  like  that  of  a  daughter. 

"  Perhaps  it  will  be  best ;  they  can't  live  long  any- 
where in  my  opinion,"  Mr.  Lincoln  replied. 

"  I  can  look  after  them  much  better  here,"  con- 
tinued Mrs.  Lincoln  ;  "  and  whether  they  live  or  die, 
we  shall  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we  did 
everything  in  our  power  for  them." 

The  sick  couple  were  removed  into  the  Lincoln 
cabin  in  September,  and  no  one  was  more  rejoiced  over 
the  event  than  Dennis  Hanks,  to  whom,  also,  the  Spar- 
rows were  as  father  and  mother.     Dennis  emphasized 


yS         P/OXEE/^  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

his  joy  over  the  removal  by  saying  he  was  glad  "to 
get  out  of  the  vie  an  little  half -face  camp'' 

The  removal  brought  no  relief  to  the  sinking  pa- 
tients. In  a  few  days  both  of  them  died,  spreading 
gloom  over  the  neighborhood,  and  creating  the  sad* 
dest  experience  Abraham  and  Dennis  ever  knew. 

A  spot  was  selected  for  the  burial-place  of  the  dead, 
about  one  half  mile  from  the  cabin,  on  a  beautiful  knol) 
that  nestled  under  the  shadow  of  mammoth  trees.  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  the  only  settler  in  the  vicinity  capable  of 
making  a  coffin  ;  and  he  set  about  the  sorrowful  work, 
making  them  out  of  "green  lumber,  cut  with  a  whip- 
saw."  They  were  rough  and  heavy,  like  everything 
else  connected  with  pioneer  life ;  but  answered  their 
purpose  well.  Without  funeral  ceremonies,  the 
neighbors  gathered  from  far  and  near,  and  tearfully 
committed  their  deceased  friends  to  the  dust. 

A  few  days  only  elapsed  after  the  burial,  before 
Mrs.  Lincoln  was  attacked,  much  more  violently  than 
the  Sparrows,  with  the  same  dreaded  disease.  It  was 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Abraham  was 
awakened  out  of  a  sound  sleep,  and  hurried  away  for 
the  nearest  neighbor,  Mrs.  Woods,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  Dennis,  who  became  a  permanent  member  of 
Lincoln's  family  after  the  death  of  the  Sparrows,  and 
was  Abraham's  bed-fellow  in  the  loft,  made  his  ap- 
pearance, to  render  any  assistance  within  his  power. 
In  the  absence  of  physicians,  a  strong  bond  of  sym- 
pathy united  pioneer  families,  and  the  feminine  mem- 
bers were  always  ready  to  tender  their  best  nursing 
abilities  to  the  sick.  Nor  were  they  altogether  unsuc- 
cessful in  their  treatment.     Some  of  them  exhibited 


DARKER  DAYS.  yg 


much  skill  in  managing  diseases,  having  been  thrown 
upon  their  own  resources  for  a  long  penod,  reflect- 
ing and  studying  for  themselves.  As  physicians  could 
not  be  had,  they  were  compelled  to  do  the  best  thing 
possible  for  themselves. 

Mrs.  Woods  was  not  long  in  coming  to  her  relief, 
and  before  the  close  of  that  day  several  other  neighbors, 
who  were  notified  of  Mrs.  Lincoln's  sickness,  came  to 
proffer  assistance.  The  tidings  of  her  sudden  attack 
spread  so  rapidly,  that,  within  two  or  three  days,  all 
the  pioneer  families  in  the  vicinity  heard  of  it,  and  their 
proffers  of  assistance  were  prompt  and  tender.  But  the 
patient  steadily  grew  worse,  and  soon  became  satisfied 
that  her  sickness  would  prove  fatal.  Some  persons 
attacked  with  that  singular  disease  lingered  for  weeks, 
as  the  Sparrows  did  ;  but  Mrs.  Lincoln's  sickness  was 
violent  and  brief.  On  the  fifth  day  of  October,  she 
expired,  leaving  the  Lincoln  cabin  more  desolate  than 
ever.  Coming  so  speedily  after  the  Sparrows  passed 
away,  death  had  additional  terrors  to  the  living.  Den- 
nis Hanks  remembers  the  woe-begone  appearance  of 
Abraham  from  the  time  his  mother's  life  was  despaired 
of  until  weeks  after  she  was  laid  in  her  grave.  He  was 
nine  years  old,  thoughtful  and  sensible,  not  much  in- 
clined to  talk  about  the  event,  but  ever  looking  as  if 
a  pall  were  drawn  over  his  heart.  The  reader  can 
imagine,  perhaps,  what  no  language  can  convey,  the 
loss  of  a  good  mother  to  a  bright,  obedient,  and  trusting 
boy,  hid  away  in  the  woods,  where  a  mother's  presence 
and  love  must  be  doubly  precious.  The  bitter  ex- 
perience was  well  suited  to  make  the  loneliness  of 
pioneer  life  vastly  more  lonely,  and  its  real  hardships 
vastly  harder. 


8o         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Preparations  were  made  for  the  burial.  With  his 
own  hands,  Thomas  Lincoln  constructed  a  rough  coffin 
for  his  wife,  and  she  was  laid  beside  the  Sparrows  on 
the  knoll.  One  party  thinks  that  one  neighbor  read 
the  Scriptures  and  another  offered  prayer;  but  it  is 
probable  that  she  was  buried,  as  her  foster-parents 
were,  without  any  ceremonies  —  silently  deposited 
in  the  ground  with  no  special  tribute,  save  honest 
tears. 

Here,  better  than  elsewhere,  we  can  describe  an 
event  that  is  worthy  of  record.  It  occurred  several 
months  after  the  death  of  Mrs.  Lincoln. 

"  You  must  write  a  letter  for  me,  Abe,  to  Parson 
Elkins,"  said  his  father,  one  evening.  "  You  can  write 
well  enough  now  to  do  that."  Abraham  had  passed 
his  tenth  birthday. 

"  If  you  can  tell  me  what  to  write,  I  can  do  it," 
answered  the  boy. 

"That  I  will  do.  It  will  be  your  first  letter,  you 
know,  and  you  must  remember  that  your  father  never 
wrote  one  —  never  knew  enough  to  write  one." 

"  What  do  you  want  I  should  write  about  .-*  "  inquired 
Abraham. 

"Write  about  the  death  of  your  mother.  He  knows 
nothing  about  it  yet ;  and  I  want  to  ask  him  to  visit  us, 
and  preach  a  funeral  sermon." 

"  When  do  you  want  he  should  come  t " 

"  When  he  can,  I  s'pose.  He'll  take  his  own  time 
for  it,  though  I  hope  he'll  come  soon." 

"  He  may  be  dead,"  suggested  Abraham. 

"What  makes  you  think  so.''" 

"  He's  as  likely  to  die  as  mother,  ain't  he }  and  he 


in  \  w 

Mother  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


DARKER   DAYS.  8 1 


may  be  dead  when  we  don't  know  it,  the  same  as  she's 
dead  when  he  don't  know  it." 

"  Well,  there's  something  in  that,"  answered  his 
father  ;  "but  we'll  see  how  you  can  make  out  writing  a 
letter." 

Pen  and  paper  were  provided,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  pro- 
ceeded to  dictate  the  letter.  He  directed  him  to  write 
about  the  death  of  Mrs.  Lincoln,  when  it  occurred,  and 
under  what  circumstances,  and  to  invite  him  to  visit 
them,  and  preach  a  funeral  sermon.  He  also  gave  a 
description  of  their  new  home,  and  their  journey 
thither,  and  wrote  of  their  future  prospects. 

"Now  read  it  over,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"The  whole  of  it.?" 

"  Of  course ;  I  want  to  hear  it  all.  I  may  think  of 
something  else  by  that  time." 

Abraham  commenced  to  read  it,  while  his  father  sat 
the  very  picture  of  satisfaction.  There  was  genuine 
happiness  to  him  in  having  his  son  prepared  to  write  a 
letter.  Never  before  had  there  been  a  member  of  his 
family  who  could  perform  this  feat.  It  was  a  memor- 
able event  to  him. 

"  See  how  much  it  is  worth  to  be  able  to  write,"  said 
he,  as  Abraham  finished  reading  the  letter.  "  It's  worth 
ten  times  as  much  as  it  cost  to  be  able  to  write  only 
that  one  letter." 

"It  ain't  much  work  to  learn  to  write,"  said  Abra- 
ham ;  "  I'd  work  as  hard  again  for  it  before  I'd  give 
it  up." 

"  You'd  have  to  give  it  up,  if  you  were  knocked  about 
as  I  was  when  a  boy." 

"I  know  that." 


82         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  You  don't  know  it  as  I  do ;  and  I  hope  you  never 
will.  But  it's  worth  more  than  the  best  farm  to  know 
how  to  write  a  letter  as  well  as  that." 

"  I  shall  write  one  better  than  that  yet,"  said  Abraham. 
"  But  how  long  will  it  take  for  the  letter  to  go  to  Parson 
Elkins?" 

**  That's  more  than  I  can  tell ;  but  it  will  go  there 
some  time,  and  I  hope  it  will  bring  him  here." 

"  He  won't  want  to  come  so  far  as  this,"  suggested 
Abraham. 

"  It  ain't  so  far  for  him  as  it  was  for  us." 

"Why  ain't  it.?" 

"  Because  he  lives  nearer  the  line  of  Indiana  than  we 
did.  It  ain't  more  than  seventy-five  miles  for  him  to 
come,  and  he  often  rides  as  far  as  that." 

The  letter  went  on  its  errand,  and  Abraham  was 
impatient  to  learn  the  result.  On  the  whole,  it  was 
rather  an  important  event  in  his  young  life,  —  the 
writing  of  that  first  letter.  Was  it  strange  that  he 
should  query  whether  it  would  reach  the  good  minister 
to  whom  it  was  sent.?  Would  it  be  strange  if  the 
writing  of  it  proved  one  of  the  happy  influences  that 
started  him  off  upon  a  career  of  usefulness  and  fame .? 
We  shall  see. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  much  to  say  to  his  neighbors  about 
the  letter  that  his  son  had  written,  and  they  had  much 
to  say  to  him.  It  was  considered  remarkable  for  a  boy 
of  his  age  to  do  such  a  thing.  Not  one  quarter  of  the 
^adults  in  all  that  region  could  write;  and  this  fact 
rendered  the  ability  of  the  boy  in  this  regard  all  the 
more  marvellous.  It  was  noised  abroad,  and  the  result 
was,  that  Abraham  had  frequent  applications  from  the 


DARKER  DAYS.  83 

neighbors  to  write  letters  for  them.  Nor  was  he  indis- 
posed to  gratify  their  wishes.  One  of  his  traits  of 
character  was  a  generous  disposition  to  assist  others, 
and  it  prompted  him  to  yield  to  their  wishes  in  writing 
letters  for  them.  Nor  was  it  burdensome  to  him,  but 
the  opposite.  He  delighted  to  do  it.  And  thus,  as 
a  consequence  of  his  acquiring  the  art  of  penmanship, 
far-distant  and  long-absent  friends  of  the  pioneer  fam- 
ilies heard  from  their  loved  ones. 

The  letter  brought  the  parson.  After  the  lapse  of 
about  three  months  he  came.  The  letter  reached  him 
in  Kentucky,  after  considerable  delay,  and  he  embraced 
the  first  opportunity  to  visit  his  old  friends.  Abraham 
had  almost  concluded  that  his  letter  was  lost,  as  the 
favorite  minister  did  not  come.  But  one  day,  when 
the  lad  was  about  two  miles  from  home,  who  should  he 
see  coming  but  Parson  Elkins,  on  his  old  bay  horse ! 
He  recognized  him  at  once,  and  was  delighted  to  see 
him. 

"Why,  Abe,  is  that  you.^"  exclaimed  the  parson. 
"  Am  I  so  near  your  home }  " 

"Yes,  sir;  did  you  get  my  letter.?"  Abraham 
thought  of  the  memorable  letter  the  first  thing.  He 
had  good  evidence  before  him  that  the  letter  reached 
its  destination,  but  he  would  know  certainly. 

"  Your  letter!"  exclaimed  Parson  Elkins,  inquiringly. 
"  I  got  your  father's  letter."  Abraham  did  not  stop  to 
think  that  the  letter  went  in  his  father's  name. 

"  I  wrote  it,"  he  said. 

"  YoiL  wrote  it !     Is  that  so.'*" 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  father  can't  write,  you  know." 

"  O,  yes  ;  I  do  remember  now  that  he  couldn't  write  ; 


84         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

and  so  you  did  it  ?  Not  many  boys  that  can  write  like 
that." 

**  It  was  the  first  letter  I  ever  wrote." 

"Better  still  is  that,  —  the  first  one?  Well,  you 
needn't  be  ashamed  of  that." 

They  were  advancing  towards  the  cabin  during  this 
conversation,  Abraham  running  alongside  the  horse, 
and  the  parson  looking  kindly  upon  him. 

"There's  our  house!"  exclaimed  Abraham,  as  they 
came  in  sight  of  it.  "  We  live  there,"  pointing  with 
his  finger. 

"  Ah  !  that's  a  pleasant  place  to  live.  And  there's 
your  father,  I  think,  too." 

"  Yes,  that's   he.     He'll  be  glad  to  see  you.'* 

"And  I  shall  be  glad  to  see  him." 

By  this  time  they  came  near  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  re- 
cognized Parson  Elkins,  and  gave  him  a  most  cordial 
greeting.  He  was  really  taken  by  surprise,  although 
he  had  not  relinquished  all  expectation  of  the  parson 
coming. 

"  You  find  me  in  a  lonely  condition,"  said  Mr.  Lin- 
coln.    "  Death  has  made  a  great  change  in  my  family." 

"Very  great  indeed,"  responded  Mr.  Elkins.  "I 
know  how  great  your  loss  is ;  but  *  Whom  the  Lord 
loveth,  he  chasteneth.'" 

Assenting  to  this,  Mr.  Lincoln  continued,  — 

"  Now,  let  me  say,  that,  while  you  are  here,  I  want 
you  should  preach  a  funeral  sermon.  You  know  all 
about  my  wife.  You  will  stay  over  next  Sunday, 
won't  you.'*"     It  was  now  Wednesday. 

"  Why,  yes,  I  can  stay  as  long  as  that,  though  I 
must  be  about  my  Master's  work." 


DARKER  DAYS,  85 


•*  You  will  be  about  your  Master's  work,  if  you  stay 
and  preach  a  funeral  sermon ;  and  it  may  do  a  great 
sight  of  good." 

*'  Very  true ;  and  I  shall  be  glad  to  stay ;  for  if  any 
one  ever  deserved  a  funeral  sermon,  it  is  your  wife. 
But  where  shall  I  preach  it?" 

"  At  her  grave.  I've  had  that  arranged  in  my  mind 
for  a  long  time  ;  and  we'll  notify  the  people  ;  there  will 
be  a  large  attendance.  The  people  thought  a  deal  of 
her  here." 

It  was  arranged  that  Mr.  Elkins  should  preach  the 
funeral  sermon  at  the  grave  of  Mrs.  Lincoln  on  the 
following  Sabbath.  Accordingly,  notice  was  sent 
abroad  to  the  distance  of  twelve  or  fifteen  miles,  and 
a  platform  was  erected  near  the  grave.  Every  prep- 
aration was  made  for  the  solemn  event.  Although 
nearly  a  year  had  elapsed  since  Mrs.  Lincoln  died,  yet 
a  sermon  to  her  memory  was  no  less  interesting  to 
her  surviving  friends. 

In  the  mean  time,  Mr.  Elkins  busied  himself  in  in- 
tercourse with  the  family  ;  and  he  visited  some  of  the 
neighbors,  and  conversed  with  them  on  spiritual 
things.  Abraham,  too,  received  his  special  attention. 
The  boy  had  improved  rapidly  since  he  left  Kentucky, 
and  his  remarkable  precocity  was  suited  to  draw  the 
attention  of  such  a  preacher. 

The  Sabbath  arrived,  —  a  bright,  beautiful  day. 
From  a  distance  of  twelve  or  fifteen  miles,  the  settlers 
came  to  listen  to  the  sermon.  Entire  families  assem- 
bled, parents  and  children,  from  the  oldest  to  the 
youngest.  Hoary  age  and  helpless  childhood  were 
there.    They  came  in  carts,  on  horseback,  and  on  foot, 


S6         PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

any  way  to  get  there.  As  they  had  preaching  only 
when  one  of  these  pioneer  preachers  visited  that  vicin- 
ity, it  was  a  treat  to  most  of  the  inhabitants,  and  they 
manifested  their  interest  by  a  general  turn-out.  The 
present  occasion,  however,  was  an  unusual  one,  as  the 
funeral  sermon  of  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  to  be  preached. 

Parson  Elkins  was  an  earnest  man,  and  the  occasion 
inspired  him  with  unusual  fervor.  None  of  the  people 
had  ever  listened  to  him  before,  except  the  Lincoln 
family,  and  they  were  delighted  with  his  services. 
His  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  con- 
sidered just  and  excellent.  None  thought  that  too 
much  was  said  in  her  praise.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
general  feeling  was  rather,  as  one  of  the  number  ex- 
pressed it,  that,  "  say  what  he  might  in  praise  of  her, 
he  couldn't  say  too  much." 

Abraham  was  deeply  interested  in  the  sermon,  and 
it  brought  all  his  mother's  tenderness  and  love  afresh 
to  his  mind.  To  him  it  was  almost  like  attending  her 
funeral  over  again.  Her  silent  dust  was  within  a  few 
feet  of  him,  and  vivid  recollection  of  her  worth  was  in 
his  heart. 

He  drank  in  the  sentiments  of  the  discourse,  too. 
He  usually  did  this,  as  he  was  accustomed  to  think  for 
himself.  A  few  years  later  he  often  criticized  the  ser- 
mons to  which  he  listened,  much  to  the  amusement  of 
those  with  whom  he  conversed.  He  sometimes  called 
in  question  the  doctrines  preached.  This  was  one  of 
the  things  in  which  his  precocity  appeared.  It  was  at 
this  point  that  his  mental  activity  and  power  were  often 
seen.  But  the  sentiments  of  the  aforesaid  funeral 
sermon  especially  impressed  his  mind. 


DARKER  DAYS.  S/ 


At  this  time  of  his  Ufe  he  was  a  close  listener  to  the 
conversation  of  the  neighbors  ;  and  he  would  become 
almost  vexed  over  the  conversation  of  some  of  them, 
who  talked  so  unintelligibly  through  ignorance,  that 
he  could  not  understand  them.  His  active  brain 
labored  to  compass  every  subject,  and  he  sometimes 
fretted  over  unlettered  talkers  whose  meaning  he 
failed  to  comprehend.  After  he  came  into  the  pos- 
session of  additional  books,  he  was  wont  to  discuss  their 
subject-matter,  and  express  his  own  views  freely. 

In  this  respect  he  was  unlike  most  boys,  who  are 
superficial  in  their  views  of  things.  They  read,  and 
that  is  the  end  of  it.  They  think  no  more  about  it,  — 
at  least,  they  do  not  inquire  into  the  why  and  where- 
fore of  matters  stated  ;  and  so  the  habit  of  sliding  over 
things  loosely  is  formed.  They  do  not  think  for 
themselves.  They  accept  things  as  true,  because 
others  say  they  are  true.  They  are  satisfied  with 
knowing  that  things  are,  without  asking  ivhy  they  are. 
But  Abraham  was  not  so.  He  thought,  reflected  ; 
and  this  developed  his  mental  powers  faster  than  even 
school  could  do  it. 

The  reader  should  understand  more  about  these 
pioneer  preachers,  in  order  to  appreciate  the  influ- 
ences that  formed  Abraham's  character,  and  therefore 
we  will  stop  here  to  give  some  account  of  them. 

They  were  not  generally  men  of  learning  and  cul- 
ture, though  some  of  them  were  men  of  talents.  Few, 
if  any  of  them,  were  ever  in  college,  and  some  of  them 
were  never  in  school.  But  they  had  a  call  to  preach, 
as  they  believed,  and  good  and  true  hearts  for  doing  it. 
Many  of  them  preached  almost  every  day,   travelling 


8S         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

from  place  to  place  on  horseback,  studying  their  ser- 
mons in  the  saddle,  and  carrying  about  with  them  all 
the  library  they  had  in  their  saddle-bags.  They  stopped 
where  night  overtook  them,  and  it  was  sometimes 
miles  away  from  any  human  habitation,  with  no  bed 
but  the  earth,  and  no  covering  but  the  canopy  of 
heaven.  They  labored  without  a  salary,  and  were 
often  poorly  clothed  and  scantily  fed,  being  con- 
strained to  preach  by  the  love  of  Christ.  The  follow- 
ing account  of  two  pioneer  preachers,  by  Milburn,  will 
give  the  reader  a  better  idea  of  this  class  of  useful 
men  than  any  description  of  ours,  and  it  will  be  read 
with  interest :  — 

"  One  of  these  preachers,  who  travelled  all  through 
the  Northwestern  Territory,  a  tall,  slender,  graceful 
man,  with  a  winning  countenance  and  kindly  eye, 
greatly  beloved  by  all  to  whom  he  ministered,  was 
presented  by  a  large  landholder  with  a  title-deed  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  The  preacher  was 
extremely  poor,  and  there  had  been  many  times  when 
he  received  scarcely  enough  support  to  keep  soul  and 
body  together.  Yet  he  labored  on,  and  did  much 
good.  He  seemed  pleased  with  his  present  of  land, 
and  went  on  his  way  with  a  grateful  heart.  But  in 
three  months  he  returned,  and  met  his  benefactor  at 
the  door,  saying,  '  Here,  sir,  I  want  to  give  you  back 
your  title-deed.' 

"  *  What's  the  matter } '  said  his  friend,  surprised. 
*  Any  flaw  in  it } ' 

"'No.' 

*'  'Isn't  it  good  land.?* 

"  '  Good  as  any  in  the  State.* 


DARKER  DAYS.  89 


"  *  Sickly  situation  ?  * 

" '  Healthy  as  any  other.' 

"  *  Do  you  think  I  repent  my  gift  ? ' 

*'  *I  haven't  the  slightest  reason  to  doubt  your  gen- 
erosity.' 

«  <  Why  don't  you  keep  it,  then } ' 

"*Well,  sir,'  said  the  preacher,  *you  know  I  am 
very  fond  of  singing,  and  there's  one  hymn  in  my 
book  the  singing  of  which  is  one  of  the  greatest  com- 
forts of  my  life.  I  have  not  been  able  to  sing  it  with 
my  whole  heart  since  I  was  here.  A  part  of  it  runs 
in  this  way  :  — 

"  No  foot  of  land  do  I  possess 
No  cottage  in  the  wilderness  ; 
A  poor  wayfaring  man, 
I  lodge  awhile  in  tents  below. 
And  gladly  wander  to  and  fro. 
Till  I  my  Canaan  gain  ; 
There  is  my  house  and  portion  fair, 
My  treasure  and  my  heart  are  there, 
And  my  abiding  home." 

"*Take  your  title-deed,' he  added;  *I  had  rather 
sing  that  hymn  with  a  clear  conscience  than  own 
America.' 

"  There  was  another  preacher  of  the  pioneer  class 
so  intent  upon  his  work  that  hunger  and  nakedness 
did  not  affright  him.  He  was  more  scholarly  than 
most  of  the  preachers  around  him,  and  often  sat  up 
half  the  night,  at  the  cabins  of  the  hunters  where  he 
stopped,  to  study.  These  cabins  were  about  twelve 
by  fourteen  feet,  and  furnished  accommodations  for 
the  family,  sometimes  numbering  ten  or  twelve  chil- 


90         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

dren  ;  and,  as  the  forests  abounded  in  ^  varmints^  the 
hens  and  chickens  were  taken  in  for  safe  keeping. 
Here,  after  the  family  had  retired,  he  would  light  a 
pine  knot,  *  stick  it  up  in  one  corner  of  the  huge  fire- 
place, lay  himself  down  on  the  flat  of  his  stomach  in 
the  ashes,'  and  study  till  far  into  the  night. 

"  Many  a  time  was  the  bare,  bleak  mountain-sid^ 
his  bed,  the  wolves  yelling  a  horrid  chorus  in  his  ears. 
Sometimes  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  a  hollow 
log,  within  whose  cavity  he  inserted  his  body,  and 
found  it  a  good  protection  from  the  rain  or  frost. 

"  Once,  seated  at  the  puncheon  dinner-table  with 
a  hunter's  family,  the  party  is  startled  by  affrighted 
screams  from  the  door-yard.  Rushing  out,  they  be- 
hold a  great  wildcat  bearing  off  the  youngest  child. 
Seizing  a  rifle  from  the  pegs  over  the  door,  the 
preacher  raises  it  to  his  shoulder,  casts  a  rapid  glance 
along  the  barrel,  and  delivers  his  fire.  The  aim  has 
been  unerring,  but  too  late,  —  the  child  is  dead,  already 
destroyed  by  the  fierce  animal. 

"  That  same  year  he  had  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with 
a  bear,  from  which  conflict  he  came  forth  victor,  his 
knife  entering  the  vitals  of  the  creature  just  as  he  was 
about  to  be  enfolded  in  the  fatal  hug. 

"  Often  he  emerged  from  the  wintry  stream,  his 
garments  glittering  in  the  clear,  cold  sunlight,  as  if 
they  had  been  of  burnished  steel  armor,  chill  as  the 
touch  of  death.  During  that  twelvemonth,  in  the 
midst  of  such  scenes,  he  travelled  on  foot  and  horse- 
back y<?/^r  thojisand  vtiles,  preached  four  hu7tdred  times  ^ 
and  found,  on  casting  up  the  receipts, — yarn  socks, 
woollen  vests,  cotton  shirts,  and  a  little  silver  change, 


DARKER  DAYS.  9 1 


—  that  his  salary  amounted  to  twelve  dollars  and  ten 
cents. 

"  Yet  he  persevered,  grew  in  knowledge  and  influ- 
ence, became  a  doctor  of  divinity,  and  finally  was 
made  president  of  a  university.  He  is  known  on  the 
page  of  history  as  Henry  Bidleman  Bascom." 

Such  were  the  pioneer  preachers  of  the  West ;  of 
simple-hearted  piety,  lofty  faith,  a  fiery  zeal,  un- 
wavering fortitude,  and  a  practical  turn  of  mind, 
through  which  they  did  a  great  work  for  God. 

We  have  made  this  digression  from  the  thread  of 
our  story,  to  show  what  influences  of  the  ministry 
were  thrown  around  Abraham's  early  life.  It  is  true 
the  preachers  to  whom  he  listened  were  not  "circuit- 
riders,"  as  travelling  preachers  were  called.  They 
were  Baptist  ministers,  who  lived  within  twenty  miles, 
and  who  occasionally  preached  in  that  neighborhood. 
During  the  first  few  years  of  Abraham's  residence  in 
Indiana,  there  was  one  Jeremiah  Cash,  who  sometimes 
preached  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  young  listener  be- 
came much  interested  in  him.  A  few  years  later,  two 
others  came  to  that  section  of  country  to  live.  Their 
names  were  John  Richardson  and  Young  Lamar. 
One  of  them  dwelt  seven  or  eight  miles  from  Abra- 
ham's home  on  the  north,  and  the  other  eight  or  ten 
miles  to  the  south ;  and  both  of  them  were  wont  to 
preach  at  Mr.  Lincoln's  cabin,  and  at  other  cabins,  as 
they  had  opportunity.  Sometimes  they  preached  in 
the  open  air,  as  Mr.  Elkins  did  the  funeral  sermon. 
This  was  always  the  case  when  more  people  attended 
than  could  crowd  into  a  log-house. 


92  PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Such  was  all  the  pulpit  influence  that  reached  the 
boyhood  and  youth  of  Abraham.  Yet  it  left  indelible 
impressions  upon  his  mind.  Though  it  was  small  and 
inconstant,  apparently,  in  comparison  with  the  pulpit 
advantages  that  boys  enjoy  at  the  present  day,  it 
imbued  his  soul  with  sentiments  that  were  never 
obliterated.  He  was  much  indebted  to  the  unpolished 
eloquence  of  those  pioneer  preachers,  whose  sterling 
piety  caused  them  to  proclaim  the  truth  with  fidelity 
and  earnestness.  This  was  one  of  the  few  influences 
that  contributed  to  make  him  a  remarkable  man. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

BRIGHTER    HOURS. 

jBRAHAM  deeply  felt  the  change  that  death 
had  wrought  in  his  cabin  home,  and,  for 
weeks,  his  mind  was  absorbed  in  his  loss. 
Perhaps  his  oppressive  sense  of  loneliness 
and  his  grief  would  have  continued,  but  for  an  unex- 
pected blessing  that  came  to  him  in  the  shape  of  a 
book.  His  father  met  with  a  copy  of  The  Pilgrim's 
Progress,  at  the  house  of  an  acquaintance,  twenty 
miles  away  or  more,  and  he  borrowed  it  for  Abraham. 
The  boy  was  never  more  happily  surprised  than  he 
was  when  his  father,  on  his  return,  said : 

**  Look  here,  Abe,  I've  found  something  for  you," 
at  the  same  time  exhibiting  the  book. 

*'  Found  it !"  exclaimed  Abraham,  supposing  that  his 
father  meant  that  he  picked  it  up  in  the  woods  or  fields. 

"  No,  no  ;  you  don't  understand  me.  I  meant  that  I 
came  across  it  at  Pierson's  house,  and  I  borrowed  it  for 
you." 

**  Pilgrim's  Progress,"  said  Abraham,  taking  the  book 
and  reading  the  title ;  ''  that  will  be  good,  I  should  think." 
He  knew  nothing  about  the  book ;  he  never  heard  of  it 
before. 


94         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  shall  want  to  hear  it,"  said  his  father.  **  I  heard 
about  that  book  many  years  ago,  but  I  never  heard  it 
read." 

**What  is  it  about  .!*"  asked  Abraham. 

**  You'll  find  that  out  by  reading  it,"  answered  his 
father. 

''And  I  won't  be  long  about  it  neither,"  continued 
Abraham.     ''  I  know  I  shall  like  it." 

"  I  know  you  will,  too." 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  know,  if  you  never  heard  it 
read." 

''On  account  of  what  I've  heard  about  it." 

And  it  turned  out  to  be  so.  Abraham  sat  down  to 
read  the  volume  very  much  as  some  other  boys  would 
sit  down  to  a  good  dinner.  He  found  it  better  even 
than  he  expected.  It  was  the  first  volume  that  he  was 
provided  with  after  the  spelling-book,  Catechism,  and 
Bible,  and  a  better  one  could  not  have  been  found. 
He  read  it  through  once,  and  was  half-way  through  it 
a  second  time,  when  he  received  a  present  of  another 
volume,  in  which  he  became  deeply  interested.  It  was 
JEsops  Fables,  presented  to  him,  partly  on  account  of 
his  love  of  books,  and  partly  because  it  would  serve  to 
occupy  his  mind  and  lighten  his  sorrow. 

He  read  the  fables  over  and  over  until  he  could  repeat 
almost  the  entire  contents  of  the  volume.  He  was 
thoroughly  interested  in  the  moral  lesson  that  each 
fable  taught,  and  derived  therefrom  many  valuable 
hints  that  he  carried  with  him  through  life.  On  the 
whole,  he  spent  more  time  over  .^sop's  Fables  than  he 
did  over  The  Pilgrim's  Progress,  although  he  was  really 
charmed  by  the  latter.     But  there  was  a  practical  turn 


BRIGHTER  HOURS,  95 

to  the  fables  that  interested  him,  and  he  could  easily 
recollect  the  stories.  Perhaps  his  early  familiarity 
with  this  book  laid  the  foundation  for  that  facility  at 
apt  story-telling  that  distinguished  him  through  life. 
It  is  easy  to  see  how  such  a  volume  might  beget  and 
foster  a  taste  in  this  direction.  Single  volumes  have 
moulded  the  reader's  character  and  decided  his  destiny 
more  than  once,  and  that,  too,  when  far  less  absorbing 
interest  was  manifested  in  the  book.  It  is  probable, 
then,  that  ^sop's  Fables  exerted  a  decided  influence 
upon  Abraham's  character  and  life.  The  fact  that  he 
read  the  volume  so  much  as  to  commit  the  larger  part 
of  it  to  memory  adds  force  to  this  opinion. 

With  two  new  books  of  such  absorbing  interest,  it 
was  not  strange  that  Abraham  was  disposed  to  neglect 
his  daily  labor.  His  father  could  readily  discover  that 
-^sop  had  more  attractions  for  him  than  ax  or  hoe. 
Nor  was  he  inclined  to  break  the  spell  that  bound  him 
until  he  actually  feared  that  the  books  would  make  him 
"lazy." 

"  Come,  Abe,  you  mustn't  neglect  your  work ;  we've 
lots  to  do,  and  books  must  not  interfere,"  was  his 
father's  gentle  rebuke. 

"  In  a  minute,"  answered  the  boy,  just  like  most 
other  boys  of  that  age,  who  are  ''book-worms." 

*'  That's  what  makes  boys  lazy,  waiting  to  play  or 
read,  when  they  ought  to  be  at  work,"  continued  his 
father.  "  All  study  and  no  work  is  'most  as  bad  as  all 
work  and  no  study." 

*'  Only  a  minute,  and  I'll  go,"  added  Abraham,  so 
absorbed  in  his  book  that  he  scarcely  knew  what  answer 
he  made. 


96         PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

**  It  must  be  a  short  minute,"  retorted  his  father  in 
a  tone  of  injured  authority. 

"  I'll  work  hard  enough  to  make  it  up  when  I  get  at 
it,"  said  Abraham,  still  delaying. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that.  I'm  afraid  that  your 
thoughts  will  be  somewhere  else ;  so  put  down  the  book 
and  come  on." 

With  evident  reluctance  the  young  reader  laid  down 
his  book,  preliminary  to  obeying  orders. 

"Good  boys  obey  at  once,"  continued  his  father; 
"don't  have  to  drive  'em  like  cattle." 

*'I  only  wanted  to  read  a  minute  longer,"  answered 
Abraham,  by  way  of  palliating  his  offence. 

*'  And  I  only  wanted  you  shouldn't,"  exclaimed  his 
father  angrily.  "  I  know  what  is  best  for  you.  I'm 
willing  you  should  read  and  write,  but  you  must  work 
when  work  drives." 

It  was  altogether  new  for  Abraham  to  exhibit  so  much 
disobedience  as  he  did  after  he  became  enthusiastic 
over  The  Pilgrim's  Progress  and  ^Esop's  Fables.  Nor 
was  he  conscious  of  possessing  a  disobedient  spirit ; 
for  no  such  spirit  was  in  his  heart.  He  was  simply 
infatuated  with  the  new  books. 

We  must  not  conceal  the  fact  that  his  father  had 
been  somewhat  annoyed  by  the  boy's  method  of  im- 
proving his  penmanship  by  writing  with  chalk  or  a 
charred  stick  upon  almost  any  surface  that  came  in 
his  way.  But  for  his  paternal  pride  over  this  ac- 
quisition of  his  boy,  he  might  have  checked  him  in 
this  singular  way  of  improvement.  One  incident  oc- 
curred that  served  to  reconcile  his  father  in  the  main 
to  his  scrawls  here  and  there,  although  he  may  have 


BRIGHTER  HOURS.  97 

thought  Still  that  Abraham  was  cai;rying  the  matter 
too  far. 

An  acquaintance  came  into  the  field  where  father 
and  son  were  at  work,  when  his  eye  was  arrested  by 
letters  cut  in  the  mellow  soil. 

"What's  that?"  he  inquired. 

Abraham  smiled,  and  let  his  father  answer. 

"What's  what.?" 

"Why,  this  writing, — it  looks  as  if  somebody  had 
been  writing  on  the  ground." 

"Abe's  work,  I  s'pose." 

"Abe  didn't  do  that !  "  answered  the  neighbor. 

"I  did  do  it  with  a  stick,"  said  the  boy. 

"What  is  it.?"     The  man  couldn't  read. 

"It's  my  name." 

"Your  name,  hey?     Likely  story." 

"Well,  'tis,  whether  you  beUeve  it  or  not;"  and 
he     proceeded     to     spell     it     out,  — "  A-b-r-a-h-a-m 

L-I-N-C-O-L-N." 

"  Sure  enough,  it  is  ;  and  you  certainly  did  it,  Abe  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  I  will  do  it  again,  if  you  want  to  see 
me;"  and,  without  waiting  for  an  answer,  he  caught 
up  a  stick,  and  wrote  his  name  again  in  the  dirt. 

"There  'tis,"  said  Abraham. 

"I  see  it,  and  it's  well  done,"  answered  the  neigh- 
bor. 

And  there,  on  the  soil  of  Indiana,  Abraham  Lincoln 
wrote  his  name,  with  a  stick,  in  large  characters,  —  a 
sort  of  prophetic  act,  that  students  of  history  may  love 
to  ponder.  For,  since  that  day,  he  has  written  his 
name,  by  public  acts,  on  the  annals  of  every  State  in 
the  Union. 


98         PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

From  the  time,  however,  that  Abraham  became  ab- 
sorbed in  The  Pilgrim's  Progress  and  ^sop's  Fables, 
he  was  subject  to  the  charge  of  being  "lazy."  The 
charge  gained  force,  too,  as  he  grew  older,  and  more 
books  and  increasing  thirst  for  knowledge  controlled 
him.  Dennis  Hanks  said  :  "  Abe  was  lazy,  very  lazy. 
He  was  always  reading,  scribbling,  ciphering,  writing 
poetry,  and  such  like."  John  Romine  declared  that 
"  Abe  was  awful  lazy.  He  worked  for  me ;  was  always 
reading  and  thinking ;  I  used  to  get  mad  at  him.  He 
worked  for  me  pulling  fodder.  I  say  Abe  was  awful 
lazy.  He  would  laugh  and  talk,  and  crack  jokes,  and 
tell  stories  all  the  time  ;  didn't  love  work,  but  did  dearly 
love  his  pay.  He  worked  for  me  frequently,  a  few  days 
only  at  a  time.  He  said  to  me  one  day,  that  his  father 
taught  him  to  work,  but  never  learned  him  to  love  it." 

Mrs.  Crawford,  for  whose  husband  Abraham  worked, 
and  in  whose  cabin  he  read  and  told  stories,  said :  "Abe 
was  no  hand  to  pitch  into  work  like  killing  snakes." 
At  the  same  time,  Mr.  Crawford  could  find  no  man  to 
suit  him  as  well  as  Abraham,  when  the  latter  was  but 
fifteen  years  of  age. 

We  protest,  here  and  now,  against  this  charge  of 
laziness  which  some  biographers  have  made  so  promi- 
nent. Nothing  was  ever  more  common  than  to  charge 
studious  boys  and  girls  with  laziness.  A  great  many 
men  and  women,  who  know  no  better,  bring  the  same 
charge  against  professional  gentlemen.  Any  person 
who  is  not  obliged  to  work  on  the  farm,  or  at  the  forge, 
or  engage  in  some  other  manual  labor,  for  a  livelihood, 
they  pronounce  lazy  and  aristocratic.  Through  sheer 
ignorance,   studying   and   literary  aspirations   are  re- 


BRIGHTER  HOURS.  99 

garded  as  proof  of  laziness.  It  was  so  in  Abraham's 
time.  Because  he  possessed  talents  that  craved  knowl- 
edge as  the  appetite  craves  food,  leading  him  to  snatch 
fragments  of  time  for  reading,  and  perhaps  to  devote 
hours  to  the  bewitching  pastime  that  ought  to  have 
been  given  to  hard  work,  careless,  ignorant  observ- 
ers called  him  "lazy."  It  is  a  base  slander.  There 
was  not  a  lazy  bone  in  him.  The  boy  who  will  improve 
such  bits  of  time  as  he  can  save  from  his  daily  toil  for 
study,  and  sit  up  nights  to  read  the  Life  of  Washington, 
or  master  a  problem  in  mathematics,  is  not  lazy.  He 
may  love  a  book  more  than  he  loves  chopping  or  thresh- 
ing, just  as  another  may  love  the  latter  more  than  he 
does  the  former ;  but  he  is  not  lazy.  Laziness  wastes 
the  spare  hours  of  the  day  in  bringing  nothing  to  pass, 
and  gives  the  night  to  sleep  instead  of  mental  improve- 
ment. As  many  of  the  busiest  and  most  cheerful 
workers  in  our  country  are  its  scholars,  without  a  par- 
ticle of  the  element  of  laziness  in  their  composition,  so 
many  of  the  most  industrious  and  noble  boys  are  those 
who  prefer  a  book  to  the  plow,  and  would  rather  go  to 
school  than  to  harvesting.  That  was  true  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  His  heart  was  set  on  books ;  but  his  hands 
were  so  ready  for  hard  work,  that  any  farmer  was  glad  to 
hire  him  at  the  age  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  of  age, 
because  he  would  do  more  work  than  any  youth  of  his 
age.  He  would  chop  more  wood  in  a  day,  lift  larger 
logs,  and  ''pull  more  fodder,"  boy  as  he  was,  than  half 
the  men  who  hired  him. 

True,  from  the  time  that  John  Baldwin,  the  black- 
smith, came  into  the  neighborhood,  when  Abraham 
was  about  ten  years  old,  he  would  steal  away  to  the 


100       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

smithy's  shop  to  Hsten  to  his  stories.  John  was  a  great 
story-teller,  and  he  was  fond  of  children  also,  and  these 
were  attractions  enough  for  such  a  precocious  boy. 
His  mind  yearned  for  thoughts ;  it  was  desperate  for 
entertainment ;  and  the  blacksmith's  stories,  and  inci- 
dents of  his  life,  supplied  both  thoughts  and  entertain- 
ment. He  spent  much  time  with  this  jolly  son  of  Vul- 
can before  he  began  to  tell  stories  himself,  and,  after 
that,  he  exchanged  them  with  the  smutty  toiler  at  the 
forge.  But  there  was  no  evidence  of  laziness  in  those 
visits  to  the  blacksmith's  shop.  And  when  we  place 
this  freak  of  a  singularly  bright  boy,  together  with  all 
his  other  acts  that  denoted  laziness  to  the  ignorant 
pioneers,  beside  the  fact,  that  in  manhood,  to  the  day 
of  his  death,  Abraham  Lincoln  was  one  of  the  hardest 
workers  who  ever  lived,  both  at  manual  and  intellectual 
labor,  ignoring  all  ten  hour  systems,  and  toiling  fifteen, 
sixteen,  and  even  eighteen  hours  a  day,  to  satisfy  his 
honorable  ambition,  the  charge  of  laziness  is  branded  as 
slander  on  the  part  of  those  who  make  it.  "  The  boy 
is  father  to  the  man,"  —  the  lazy  boy  makes  the  lazy 
man,  and  vice  versa.  If  Abraham  was  a  lazy  boy,  his 
manhood  completely  belied  his  youth,  and  the  old 
maxim  is  exploded. 

We  have  seen  that  they  who  called  him  lazy 
coupled  the  charge  with  the  statement  that  he  was 
always  "reading  and  thinking,"  evidently  considering 
that  his  love  of  books  was  proof  of  a  disposition  to 
shirk  labor.  Their  ignorance  is  the  explanation  of, 
and  excuse  for,  their  charge. 

We  have  made  this  digression,  at  this  point,  in 
order  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  an  impor- 


BRIGHTER  HOURS.  10 1 

tant  element  of  Lincoln's  character,  that  will  find 
ample  support  in  the  sequel. 

Now  that  we  are  speaking  of  Abraham's  books,  we 
may  record  the  facts  about  two  other  volumes,  that 
came  into  his  hands  within  two  years  after  -^sop's 
Fables.  They  were  Ramsay's  Life  of  Washington, 
and  Robinson  Crusoe. 

Dennis  Hanks  came  home  one  day  and  said  to 
Abraham,  — 

*'  Don't  you  want  to  read  the  life  of  Washington  } " 

*'  Of  course  I  do,"  was  his  reply.  "  What  do  you 
ask  me  that  for  .-*" 

"  Because  I've  seen  one." 

''  Where  1 " 

"  Down  at  Anderson's  Creek.." 

"Whom  did  it  belong  to  .?  " 

Dennis  told  him,  adding,  "  He  offered  to  lend  it  to 
me." 

"  Then  /  can  borrow  it } " 

"Any  time  you  are  there;  there's  no  doubt  of  it." 

Without  recording  the  details  of  this  affair,  it  will 
answer  our  purpose  to  say  that  Abraham  embraced 
the  first  opportunity  to  secure  the  loan  of  that  valu- 
able biography.  He  knew  that  Washington  was 
called  the  "father  of  his  country" — that  he  was 
commander-in-chief  of  the  army  in  the  American 
Revolution.  He  had  been  told,  also,  of  the  part  his 
grandfather  took  in  the  "  war  of  independence." 
This  was  all  he  knew  of  the  illustrious  statesman 
whose  life  he  purposed  to  read  ;  but  this  was  quite 
enough  to  awaken  his  enthusiasm  over  the  volume. 
It  was  read  and  re-read  with  the  deepest  interest,  and 


102       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

its  contents  discussed  with  his  father  and  Dennis,  both 
of  whom  learned  more  about  Washington  and  his 
times  from  Abraham  than  they  ever  knew  before. 

It  is  not  known  how  he  came  into  possession  of 
Robinson  Crusoe.  Doubtless  the  book  was  borrowed  ; 
and  it  proved  a  source  of  genuine  satisfaction  to 
him.  Once  reading  it  only  created  the  desire  to  read 
it  a  second  time,  and  even  a  third  time.  There  was  a 
kind  of  witchery  about  the  book  to  his  active  mind, 
different  from  that  exerted  over  him  even  by  The  Pil- 
grim's Progress.  He  could  scarcely  command  language 
to  express  his  admiration  of  the  volume. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
A  NEW  MOTHER  AND   SCHOOLS. 

R.  LINCOLN  remained  a  widower  until 
December,  1819.  During  this  time  his 
only  housekeeper  was  his  daughter  Sarah. 
Abraham  was  a  "  handy  boy "  about  the 
cabin,  and  often  rendered  timely  aid  to  his  sister  in 
her  daily  work.  He  became  so  expert  in  household 
matters,  that,  a  few  years  later,  when  he  "  worked 
out "  among  the  farmers,  their  wives  pronounced  him 
the  "best  hand  "  because  he  was  so  ** handy,"  and  was 
willing  to  make  fires,  bring  wood  and  water,  or  tend 
the  baby.  It  was  evidently  a  good  school  for  him, 
since  his  manhood  was  characterized  by  being  "■  handy 
about  the  house."  A  dweller  in  Springfield,  Illinois, 
where  Abraham  commenced  his  public  life,  in  1837 
remembers  how  he  "  used  to  draw  the  baby  back  and 
forth  in  front  of  his  house,  early  in  the  summer  morn- 
ing, while  his  wife  was  getting  breakfast,  at  the  same 
time  reading  a  book  that  he  held  in  one  hand." 

But  Thomas  Lincoln  needed  a  wife,  and  his  son 
needed  a  mother.  Household  affairs  had  been  left 
**at  loose  ends,"  as  they  are  likely  to  be  where  there 
is    no    mother   to  superintend.     There  was  not  that 


104       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

neatness  and  order  necessary  to  make  even  a  cabin 
home  attractive ;  and  what  clothes  the  children  had 
were  in  a  very  dilapidated  condition.  It  was  both 
wise  and  necessary  for  Lincoln  to  go  in  search  of  a 
wife. 

He  remembered  Sally  Bush,  of  Elizabethtown, 
Kentucky,  to  whom  he  once  proposed,  but  who  pre- 
ferred another,  one  Johnson  by  name.  She  married 
the  latter  instead  of  Lincoln.  Her  husband  died  three 
years  before  Mrs.  Lincoln  did,  and  Thomas  Lincoln 
knew  that  she  was  a  widow.  Where  would  he  be  so 
much  inclined  to  go  as  there  for  a  good  wife  ?  Where 
could  he  go  with  more  hope  of  success } 

Lincoln  posted  away  to  Kentucky,  found  Widow 
Johnson,  proposed,  and  was  accepted.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day  they  were  married.  Mrs.  Johnson  pos- 
sessed a  good  supply  of  furniture  for  that  day,  so 
much  as  to  require  a  four-horse  team  to  remove  it  to 
Indiana.  She  owned  a  bureau  that  cost  forty  dollars, 
a  clothes-chest,  table  and  six  chairs,  together  with  a  quan- 
tity of  bedding,  crockery,  tin-ware  and  iron-ware.  Ralph 
Browne,  Mr.  Lincoln's  cousin,  removed  both  goods 
and  bride,  with  her  three  children  —  John,  Sarah  and 
Matilda  —  to  Indiana.  With  this  rather  large  acces- 
sion for  one  match,  Thomas  Lincoln  numbered  eight 
souls  in  his  household  —  all  to  dwell  in  a  cabin  with  a 
single  room  and  loft.  Still,  it  was,  on  the  whole,  as 
the  sequel  will  show,  the  best  bargain  that  Thomas 
Lincoln  ever  made. 

Abraham  was  filled  with  wonder  on  the  arrival  of 
his  new  mother  and  her  goods.  Such  a  quantity  of 
"household  stuff"  his  eyes  never  beheld  before ;  and 


A   NEW  MOTHER  AND  SCHOOLS.  105 

he  could  scarcely  believe  that  his  home  would  boast, 
henceforth,  a  "bureau,  clothes-chest  and  real  chairs." 
His  stepmother,  too,  won  his  heart  at  once.  He 
thought  she  was  just  the  woman  to  own  such  a 
bureau  —  the  latter  was  a  fitting  accompaniment  to 
the  former. 

The  second  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  better  educated  than 
the  first.  She  could  not  only  read  and  write,  but  she 
was  reared  in  girlhood  under  more  favorable  circum- 
stances than  Nancy  Hanks.  In  her  teens  she  was 
rather  the  belle  of  the  town,  or,  at  least,  she  was  one 
of  them.  One  person  said,  "  she  was  the  best  and 
proudest  of  the  Bushes."  She  dressed  better,  was 
more  tidy  and  brighter  than  most  of  the  girls  around 
her.  The  girl  was  mother  to  the  woman,  so  that 
Thomas  Lincoln  found  he  had  a  wife  in  her  who  was 
ambitious  for  personal  appearance  and  comfort.  One 
of  the  first  things  she  set  her  husband  about,  after 
settling  in  Indiana,  was  to  make  a  floor  to  the  cabin. 
Then  she  posted  him  away  to  the  only  place  where  he 
could  buy  window-sashes  and  doors,  twenty  or  thirty 
miles  distant,  for  these  indispensable  articles.  When 
the  Lincoln  cabin  had  a  floor,  a  real  door  and  real 
windows,  and  was  furnished  with  a  veritable  bed, 
bureau,  chairs,  crockery,  etc.,  it  presented  quite  a 
respectable  appearance.  It  was  certainly  a  much 
neater,  more  orderly  and  attractive  abode  than  it  ever 
was  before.  The  change  which  Mrs.  Lincoln  wrought 
in  the  habitation,  in  a  very  short  time,  was  indicative 
of  a  smart,  enterprising  woman,  possessing  much  ex- 
ecutive ability. 

It  was  a  glorious  day  for  Abraham  when  a  faithful 


I06       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


and  intelligent  stepmother  was  installed  over  his  dreary 
home.     Her  advent  brought  such  cheerfulness  to  him 
as  he  had  not  known  since  his  own  mother  was  laid  in 
her  grave.     He  gave  her  a  hearty  welcome,  and  a  large 
place  in  his  heart.     Her  son  and  daughters,  too,  he 
received  as  a  true  brother.     They  were  better  clad  than 
himself  and  more  tidy;  but  soon,  under  his  good  step- 
mother's care,  he  was  made  as  neat  and  prim  as  they. 
The  two  families  of  children  became  as  one  family  soon, 
and    no    discord    ever   rose   among  them.      Abraham 
became  strongly  attached  to  the  two   Johnson    girls, 
who  were  bright  and  social ;  and  they  came  to  regard 
him,  not  only  as  a  brother,  but  also  as  a  prodigy.    Their 
coming  lifted  Abraham  into  a  higher  plane  of  social  life. 
Dennis  Hanks,  who  was  a  member  of  the  family  at 
the  time,  says,  ''  In  a  few  weeks  all  had  changed  ;  and 
where  everything  was  wanting,  now  all  was  snug  and 
comfortable.     She  was  a  woman  of   great  energy,  of 
remarkable  good   sense,  very  industrious  and  saving, 
and  also  very  neat  and  tidy  in  her  habits,  and  knew 
exactly  how  to  manage  children.     She  took  an  especial 
liking  to  young  Abe.     Her  love  for  him  was  warmly 
returned,  and  continued  to  the  day  of  his  death.     But 
few  children  loved  their  parents  as  he  loved  his  step- 
mother.    He  was  encouraged  by  her  to  study,  and  any 
wish  on  his  part  was  gratified  when  it  could  be  done. 
The  two  sets  of  children  got  along  finely  together,  as 
if  they  had  been  children  of  the  same  parents.     Mrs. 
Lincoln  soon  discovered  that  Abraham  was  a  boy  of 
uncommon  natural  talents,  and  that,  if  rightly  trained, 
a  bright  future  was  before  him,  and  she  did  all  in  her 
power  to  develop  those  talents." 


A   NEW  MOTHER  AND  SCHOOLS.  lO/ 

We  may  add,  here,  once  for  all,  that  Dennis  Hanks 
subsequently  married  one  of  the  Johnson  girls,  and 
Allen  Hall,  another  cousin  of  Abraham,  the  other.  A 
granddaughter  of  Dennis  Hanks,  Mrs.  H.  A.  Chap- 
man, says  of  Mrs.  Lincoln,  "  My  grandmother  was  a 
very  tall  woman,  straight  as  an  arrow,  fair  complexion, 
and  was,  as  I  first  remember  her,  very  handsome, 
sprightly,  talkative,  and  proud ;  wore  her  hair  curled 
till  gray;  was  kind-hearted,  and  very  charitable,  and 
also  very  industrious." 

A  new  mother  was  not  the  only  boon  that  Abraham 
received  in  that  winter  of  1819-20.  For  the  first  time 
in  Indiana  a  school  opened  for  him. 

"  I  hear  that  a  man  by  the  name  of  Dorsey  is  going 
to  keep  school,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln  to  his  son;  **and 
you  can  go,  and  the  other  children  too."  He  learned 
the  news  of  a  neighbor  whom  he  met  on  that  day. 

"  Who  is  Dorsey  }  "  inquired  Abraham. 

"I  don't  know,  only  he  is  a  man  who  is  going  to 
keep  school  down  by  Little  Pigeon  Creek;  and  he's 
good  in  reading,  writing,  and  ciphering." 

*'A  good  chance  for  you,  Abe,"  remarked  his  step- 
mother, whom  we  shall  know  hereafter  only  as  mother. 
"You  want  to  know  something  about  arithmetic  as  soon 
as  you  can  ;  the  sooner  the  better." 

*' Where  shall  I  get  an  arithmetic  to  study  .-^ " 

"As  to  that,  I  can  find  one  somewhere,"  replied  his 
father.  "I  shall  go  to  market  before  the  week  is  out, 
and  I  will  see  what  I  can  find  among  the  settlers  there 
on  the  way.     You  must  study  arithmetic  somehow." 

"  A  good  day  for  you,  Abe,  when  you  learn  to 
cipher,"  added  his  mother.     "  Even  a  poor  chance  to 


I08        PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

learn  that  is  better  than  none.  Two  miles  will  be 
just  far  enough  for  you  to  walk  to  keep  your  legs 
limber." 

Settlers  had  come  into  that  region  rapidly,  and  had 
put  up  a  log-house,  two  miles  from  Lincoln's,  to  serve 
as  a  schoolhouse  whenever  an  occasion  might  arise.  It 
was  a  poor  affair.  Dorsey  could  just  stand  up  under 
the  roof,  and  he  was  no  taller  than  Abraham.  It  had 
**  holes  for  windows,"  in  which  greased  paper  was  used 
instead  of  glass.  A  large  fire-place,  that  would  admit 
logs  four  feet  in  length,  was  the  only  cheerful  object 
within  ;  and  the  boys  appeared  to  think  so  ;  for  they 
piled  on  the  fuel  by  the  half  cord,  and  made  the  biggest 
blaze  possible. 

To  this  pioneer  school  Abraham  went  with  a  glad 
heart.  His  father  found  an  old  arithmetic  somewhere, 
in  a  damaged  condition,  and  he  bought  it  for  him.  His 
mother  made  him  a  new  suit  of  clothes,  for  his  old  suit 
was  much  the  worse  for  wear.  It  was  not  made  of 
broadcloth  or  cassimere ;  but  of  such  material  as  could 
be  obtained.  It  consisted  of  a  linsey-woolsey  shirt, 
buckskin  breeches,  low  shoes  made  of  leather  tanned 
in  the  family,  and  a  cap  of  coon-skin.  Overcoats 
were  unknown. 

Here  Abraham  became  particularly  interested  in 
arithmetic  and  "spelling  for  places."  In  reading  and 
writing,  he  was  fully  equal  to  his  teacher,  and,  also  in 
spelling.  But  he  never  spelled  in  classes  before  for 
places,  an  exercise  which  the  boys  christened  with  the 
name,  "trapping  up  and  down."  Abraham  always 
"trapped  up,"  so  his  contestants  said.  He  never 
missed  a  word,  and  was  always  found  at  the  head  of  his 


A   NEW  MOTHER  AND  SCHOOLS.  109 


class,  except  when  he  took  his  place  at  the  foot,  accord- 
ing to  the  custom,  to  ''trap  up"  again. 

This  school  continued  but  a  few  weeks ;  and,  as 
Abraham  never  had  but  two  more  opportunities  to 
attend  school,  we  shall  devote  the  remainder  of  this 
chapter  to  the  details  of  his  experience. 

Four  years  later — in  1823  —  one  Andrew  Craw- 
ford, who  lived  in  Spencer  County,  opened  a  school  in 
the  same  log-house  in  which  Dorsey  taught.  He  was 
much  better  educated  than  any  of  Abraham's  previous 
teachers.  He  was  first-class  for  that  day  and  place. 
He  was  a  master,  too,  with  whom  boys  could  not 
trifle.     He  was  "  great  on  thrashin',''  one  boy  said. 

Abraham  attended  this  school,  and  became  more 
enthusiastic  than  ever  over  his  studies.  He  had 
found  a  more  congenial  teacher;  and  Crawford  ap- 
peared to  understand  him  thoroughly,  and  to  know 
how  to  lead  him.  Teacher  and  pupil  were  never  on 
better  terms  than  were  Crawford  and  Abraham. 
Crawford  saw  in  the  lad  the  foreshadowing  of  a  great 
man.  He  had  no  doubt  of  it,  and  he  did  not  hesitate 
to  express  his  admiration  of  the  boy.  He  said  to  Mr. 
Lincoln  one  day  : 

"  Abe  is  a  wonderful  boy  —  the  best  scholar  I  ever 
had.  He's  never  satisfied  without  knowing  all  about 
his  lessons.  He  wants  to  know  every  thing  that 
anybody    else    knows,    and    he    don't    see    why   he 


can't." 


''That's  Abe  exactly,"  responded  Mr.  Lincoln. 
"He  cares  more  for  a  book  than  anything  else.  I 
sometimes  wish  he  liked  work  as  much  as  he  does  a 
book." 


no       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

**  He  couldn't  like  both  equally  well,"  continued 
Crawford;  ''that's  impossible.  If  he  liked  work  with 
all  his  soul,  he  would  not  be  so  great  a  scholar  —  he 
could  7iot  be  such  a  scholar." 

"  May  be  ;  but  work  is  more  necessary  to  backwoods 
life  than  books,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  failed  to  look 
into  the  future  as  Mr.  Crawford  did.  "  Pioneers  ought 
to  know  more  than  I  do,  but  they  needn't  know  every 
thing." 

"  But  Abe  will  not  live  in  the  backwoods  all  his 
days.  Even  if  he  should  continue  to  live  in  Spencer 
County,  he  will  not  be  a  backwoodsman  long.  As 
immigration  is  going  on  now,  by  the  time  he  is  thirty 
years  old  he  will  be  out  of  pioneer  life.  But  such  a 
boy  will  rise  above  such  a  life.  His  ability  and  perse- 
verance will  overcome  obstacles,  and  he  will  make  his 
mark.     Abe  is  as  good,  too,  as  he  is  bright." 

"  Yes ;  Abe's  a  good  boy,"  responded  his  father. 
"  We  can't  expect  boys  will  do  right  always,  you  know  ; 
but  Abe's  good  to  mind.  His  mother  thinks  there 
never  was  such  a  boy."  And  this  last  testimony  was 
a  confirmation  of  what  we  have  said  of  his  filial  love 
and  obedience. 

"  I  was  struck  with  his  honesty  the  other  day," 
added  Mr.  Crawford.  "  I  saw  that  a  buck's  horn  that 
was  nailed  on  the  schoolhouse  was  broken  off,  and  I 
concluded  that  some  of  the  boys  did  it.  So  I  asked 
them  the  next  day,  when  they  had  all  got  still,  which 
of  them  broke  it,  and  Abe  answered  promptly,  *I 
did  it.'  " 

"Just  like  him,"  said  his  father. 

"  '  I  said,  how  happened  that,  Abe  ? '  '* 


A   NEW  MOTHER  AND  SCHOOLS.  Ill 


*'  I  didn't  mean  to  do  it,"  he  replied.  "  I  hung  on 
it,  and  it  broke.  I  wouldn't  have  done  it  if  I  had 
thought  it  would  break." 

"  I  dare  say  he  spoke  the  truth,"  said  his  father. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it ;  but  few  boys  would  own 
up  like  that.  Most  boys  would  try  to  conceal  what 
they  had  done,  and  wouldn't  own  it  till  they  were 
obliged  to." 

"  That's  so  ;  and  I've  thought  that  it  might  be  owing 
a  little  to  the  Life  of  Washington  that  he  read  some 
time  ago.  He  seemed  to  think  a  sight  of  his  owning 
up  that  he  cut  the  cherry  tree  with  his  new  hatchet ; 
and  he  spoke  of  it  ever  so  many  times." 

"Well,  this  was  certainly  like  that,"  said  Mr.  Craw- 
ford ;  "  and  I  took  occasion  to  say  that  it  was  a  noble 
trait  to  confess  a  wrong  that  was  done,  instead  of  try- 
ing to  conceal  it." 

"He  never  was  disposed  to  conceal  his  wrong- 
doings. He  takes  all  the  blame  to  himself,  and  don't 
try  to  put  it  on  to  anybody  else." 

"  I  should  think  so  ;  and  such  truthfulness  is  worthy 
of  all  praise,"  said  Mr.  Crawford. 

Nat  Grigsby  attended  Crawford's  school,  and  he 
says  :  "  Essays  and  poetry  were  not  taught  in  this 
school,  but  Abe  took  them  up  on  his  own  account.  He 
first  wrote  short  sentences  on  'cruelty  to  animals,'  and 
finally  came  out  with  a  regular  composition  on  the 
subject.  He  was  very  much  annoyed  and  pained  by 
the  conduct  of  the  boys',  who  were  in  the  habit  of 
catching  terrapins  and  putting  coals  of  fire  on  their 
backs.  He  would  chide  us,  tell  us  it  was  wrong,  and 
would  write  against  it." 


112        PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

This  statement  shows  that  Abraham's  teacher  en- 
couraged him  in  just  those  exercises  that  contributed 
to  his  rapid  mental  growth.  Evidently  he  understood 
the  boy,  as  we  have  said,  and  gave  him  an  impulse, 
onward  and  upward,  that  he  never  ceased  to  feel. 
Here  he  first  attempted  the  role  of  poet,  as  well  as 
essayist ;  and,  also,  played  the  part  of  orator.  He  pos- 
sessed a  remarkable  memory,  and  could  repeat  long 
paragraphs  from  the  books  he  had  read  and  the  ser- 
mons he  had  heard.  He  was  wont  to  recite  these  for 
the  amusement  of  his  companions  ;  and,  one  day,  he 
was  displaying  his  oratorical  powers  upon  a  stump, 
when  one  of  the  boys  threw  a  terrapin  against  a  tree 
near  the  speaker,  crushing  the  poor  animal  so  cruelly 
that  he  writhed  upon  the  ground,  exciting  the  tender 
sympathies  of  Abraham,  and  causing  him  to  strike  out 
upon  an  oration  or  sermon  (whatever  we  may  call  it) 
against  cruelty  to  animals,  denouncing  the  act  as  in- 
human, and  holding  up  the  boy  who  did  it  to  scorn 
until  he  writhed  under  the  scorching  rebuke  well  nigh 
as  much  as  the  terrapin  did  through  his  thoughtless 
act. 

At  another  time  he  became  the  counsel  for  a  ter- 
rapin on  whose  back  the  boys  were  putting  coals  of 
fire. 

"Don't,"  exclaimed  Abraham,  as  if  he  felt  the  burn- 
ing coals  upon  his  own  back. 

"  Don't  what .''  "  responded  a  boy,  at  the  same  time 
giving  the  terrapin  a  punch  with  a  stick. 

"Don't  be  so  cruel,"  continued  Abraham;  "how 
would  you  like  to  have  coals  put  on  your  own  back  ?  " 

"  Try  it,  and  see,"  shouted  one. 


A   NEIV  MOTHER  AND  SCHOOLS.  1 13 


"Well,  it  is  cruel  to  treat  him  so — and  mean,  too," 
persisted  Abraham. 

"Why,  Abe,  it's  nothin'  but  a  terrapin,"  interjected 
a  boy. 

"  Don't  terrapins  have  feelings .? "  responded  our  hero. 
"  I  don't  know  whether  they  do  or  not,"  replied  the 
first  named  boy,  at  the  same  time  adding  another  coal 
of  fire  to  the  animal's  back. 

"  You  shan't  do  it,  Nat,  unless  you  are  stronger  than 
I  am,"  exclaimed  Abraham,  knocking  the  last  coal  from 
the  animal's  back,  and  pushing  the  boy  with  the  stick 
aside. 

"You're  a  chicken-hearted  feller,  Abe,  as  ever  lived," 
continued  Nat.  "  I  should  think  the  terrapin  was  your 
brother." 

"Whether  he  is  or  not,  you  won't  burn  him  any  more 
while  I'm  'round." 

"That's  it,"  said  Dave  Turnham,  who  stood  looking 
on.     " I  go  in  for  Abe.     He  wouldn't  hurt  a  fly." 

"  He  would  if  he  trod  on  it,"  retorted  Nat,  aiming  to 
be  funny. 

Mr.  Crawford  had  witnessed  a  part  of  this  scene, 
and  he  came  out  at  this  stage  of  the  affair,  and  re- 
buked the  cruelty  of  the  boys  who  were  torturing  the 
terrapin,  while  he  commended  Abraham  for  his  ten- 
derness. 

"  We  are  coming  to  the  Rule  of  Three  now,"  said 
Mr.  Crawford  to  Abraham,  "  and  that  will  be  all  you 
can  learn  of  me." 

"Is  it  hard .? "  asked  the  boy. 

"  It  won't  be  for  you.  I  think  you  can  get  through 
it  by  the  time  your  father  wants  you  this  spring." 


114       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

*'\Vhy  is  it  called  the  Rule  of  Three?" 

*'  I  hardly  know.  Some  call  it  Simple  Proportion, 
and  that  is  the  true  name  for  it.  You  will  see  a  reason 
for  it,  too,  when  you  come  to  master  it." 

"What  if  I  don't  master  it }  " 

"I  '11  risk  you  on  that.  It  won't  be  of  so  much  use 
to  you  as  what  you  have  been  over  already.  So^me 
people  don't  study  it." 

"  My  father  never  studied  arithmetic,"  said  Abraham. 

"Nor  mine.  Not  half  the  folks  about  here  have 
studied  it." 

"  Father  never  had  a  chance  to  study  it  when  he  was 
a  boy." 

"  That's  the  case  with  a  good  many." 

"  Well,  I  can  cipher  now  in  Addition,  Subtraction, 
Multiplication,  and  Division." 

"Yes,  you  understand  these  rules  well,  and  you  will 
always  find  use  for  them." 

Encouraged  by  his  instructor,  Abraham  grappled 
with  the  so-called  "Rule  of  Three."  It  was  some- 
what more  difficult  for  him  to  comprehend  this  rule 
than  it  was  the  previous  ones ;  yet  he  was  not  discour- 
aged. His  discriminating  mind  and  patient  labor  did 
the  work  for  him,  and  he  enjoyed  the  happiness  of  un- 
derstanding Proportion  by  the  time  his  school-days 
were  over.  We  do  not  mean  that  he  comprehended  it 
fully,  so  as  to  be  complete  master  of  it,  but  he  under- 
stood it,  as  we  are  wont  to  say  that  pupils  understand 
the  rules  they  have  been  over  at  school.  At  least,  he 
made  such  progress  that  he  was  prepared  to  become 
master  of  all  the  rules  he  had  studied,  by  devoting  his 
leisure  moments  to  them  thereafter. 


A   NEW  MOTHER  AND  SCHOOLS.  lit, 

We  must  stop  here  to  relate  another  incident  of 
those  school-days,  because  it  illustrates  a  trait  of  char- 
acter for  which  Abraham  was  well  known  in  his  youth. 
We  often  find  the  key  to  a  boy's  character  by  observing 
his  intercourse  with  companions  at  school. 

It  was  near  the  end  of  his  term  of  school  at  Craw- 
ford's. Several  boys  were  on  their  way  home  at  the 
close  of  school  in  company  with  Abraham,  when  a 
difficulty  arose  between  two  of  them  about  spelling  a 
word. 

"You  didn't  spell  it  right,"  said  John. 

**Yes,  I  did  spell  it  right,"  replied  Daniel.  "I  spelt 
it  just  as  Mr.  Crawford  did." 

*'He  said  you  didn't  spell  it  so." 

"I  know  he  said  so,  but  he  didn't  understand  me.  I 
spelt  it  just  as  he  did." 

"I  know  you  didn't,"  continued  John. 

"And  I  know  I  did,"  retorted  Daniel.  "You  are  a 
liar,  if  you  say  so." 

"  Don't  call  me  a  liar  !  "  exclaimed  John,  doubling  up 
his  fist.     "You'll  get  it,  if  you  say  that  again  !" 

"I  stump  you  to  do  it,  old  madpiece  !  "  said  Daniel, 
putting  himself  in  an  attitude  of  defiance. 

"Come,  Dan,  don't,"  said  Abraham,  throwing  one  of 
his  arms  over  his  neck. 

"Let  him  come,  if  he  wants  to,"  said  John,  in  a  great 
rage  ;  "I'll  give  it  to  him  :  he's  a  great  coward." 

"What's  the  use,  John.-*"  interrupted  Abraham, 
throwing  his  other  arm  around  John's  shoulders,  so 
as  to  bring  himself  between  the  two  wrathy  boys  ; 
"that  ain't  worth  fighting  about." 

"Yes,  it  is,  too,"  answered  John.     "You  wouldn't 


Il6       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


be  called  a  liar  by  anybody  I  know,  and  I  won't 
neither."  Abraham  was  now  walking  along  between 
the  two  boys,  with  his  arms  over  their  shoulders. 

''  Yes,  I  would,  too ;  and  I  shouldn't  care  neither,  if 
it  wasn't  true." 

"Nobody  would  think  of  calling  you  a  liar,"  added 
John. 

"They  wouldn't  call  you  so,  if  you  didn't  care  any- 
thins:  about  it,"  answered  Abraham ;  and  there  was 
much  truth  in  the  remark. 

By  this  time  the  two  combatants  had  cooled  off  con- 
siderably, and  Daniel  put  out  the  last  spark  of  fire  by 
adding,  "I'll  take  it  back,  John." 

"That's  a  good  fellow,"  said  Abraham,  while  John 
was  mute.  Five  minutes  thereafter  the  two  vexed 
boys  were  on  good  terms,  their  difficulties  having  been 
adjusted  by  Abraham,  "the  peace-maker,"  as  he  was 
often  called.  He  could  not  endure  to  see  broils  among 
his  companions,  and  he  often  taxed  all  his  kind  feelings 
and  ingenuity  to  settle  them.  This  trait  of  character 
was  prominent  through  all  his  life.  Last,  though  not 
least,  we  had  an  exhibition  of  it,  when,  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  Rebellion  in  1861,  he  put  his  arms  around  the 
neck  of  both  North  and  South,  and  attempted  to  recon- 
cile them.  But  his  effort  proved  less  successful  than 
it  did  in  the  case  of  John  and  Daniel ;  for  the  southern 
combatant  was  fully  determined  to  fight. 

Abraham  was  by  far  the  best  speller  in  Crawford's 
school.  It  was  not  expected  by  teacher  or  pupils  that 
he  would  miss  a  word.  More  than  that  he  sometimes 
taxed  his  ingenuity  to  help  others  out  of  difficulty  in 
their  spelling  classes.     One  day  a  class  was  spelling, 


A   NEW  MO  THE  2^  AND  SCHOOLS.  11/ 


and  Crawford  put  out  the  word  defied.  The  girl  to 
whom  the  word  was  given  spelled  it  de-f-i-de.  The 
next  one,  d-e-f-y-d ;  the  third,  d-e-f-y-d-e ;  the  fourth, 
d-e-f-y-e-d ;  and  soon,  not  one  spelling  the  word  cor- 
rectly, Crawford  became  angry. 

"  What !  "  he  bawled  out,  "  these  big  boys  and  girls 
not  able  to  spell  the  simple  word  defied!  There 
shan't  one  of  you  go  home  to-night  if  you  don't  spell 
it,  you  lazy,  ignorant  louts." 

Just  then,  a  girl  in  the  class  by  the  name  of  Roby, 
to  whom  Abraham  was  somewhat  partial,  looked  up, 
and  took  a  valuable  hint  from  his  smiling  face.  To 
use  her  own  language,  as  she  described  the  scene  many 
years  thereafter :  — 

"  I  saw  Abe  at  the  window ;  he  had  his  finger  in  his 
eyey  and  a  smile  on  his  face.  I  immediately  took  the 
hint,  that  I  must  change  the  letter  j  into  an  i.  Hence 
I  spelled  the  word,  —  the  class  was  let  out.  I  felt 
grateful  to  Abe  for  this  simple  thing." 

Notwithstanding  Crawford's  was  a  ''  pioneer  college," 
he  taught  "manners."  He  rather  prided  himself  on 
teaching  his  pupils  etiquette,  at  least,  as  far  as  he 
knew.  Imparting  to  his  scholars  some  idea  about 
cultivated  society  in  thoroughly  civilized  places,  he 
converted  his  school-room  into  a  parlor  of  "  ladies  and 
gentlemen."  One  pupil  was  required  to  go  out,  then 
re-enter  in  the  role  of  a  gentleman  or  lady  stranger, 
whom  another  pupil  introduced  to  every  one  in  the 
room.  Imagine  Abraham,  almost  six  feet  high,  though 
but  fifteen  years  of  age,  homely  as  he  could  well  be, 
clumsy  and  gawky  in  his  appearance,  clad  in  pioneer 
style,  with  legs  and  arms  out  of  all  proportion  to  his 


Il8       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

head  and  body,  going  through  this  ordeal  of  refine- 
ment !  Nat.  Grigsby  describes  Abraham,  at  that  time, 
thus  :  "He  was  long,  wiry  and  strong ;  while  his  big 
feet  and  hands,  and  the  length  of  his  legs  and  arms, 
were  out  of  all  proportion  to  his  small  trunk  and  head. 
His  complexion  was  very  swarthy,  and  his  skin  was 
shrivelled  and  yellow  even  then.  He  wore  low  shoes, 
buckskin  breeches,  linsey-woolsey  shirt,  and  a  cap 
made  of  the  skin  of  an  opossum  or  coon.  The  breeches 
clung  close  to  his  thighs  and  legs,  but  failed  by  a  large 
space  to  reach  the  tops  of  his  shoes.  Twelve  inches 
remained  uncovered,  and  exposed  that  much  of  shin 
bone,  sharp,  blue,  and  narrow."  It  must  have  been  a 
comical  sight,  when  this  overgrown  and  awkward  boy 
was  required  to  play  the  gentleman,  and  was  put 
through  a  course  of  "  manners  "  indispensable  to  pio- 
neers, as  Crawford  thought.  It  did  him  good,  however, 
as  we  judge  from  the  words  of  Mrs.  Josiah  Crawford, 
for  whose  husband  Abraham  subsequently  worked. 
She  said,  "  Abe  was  polite ;  lifted  his  hat  on  meeting 
strangers ;  and  always  removed  it  from  his  head  on 
coming  into  the  house." 

Three  years  after  Abraham  attended  Crawford's 
school,  he  attended  another,  nearly  five  miles  distant, 
taught  by  one  Swaney.  He  continued  but  a  short 
time  at  this  school,  since  the  great  distance  consumed 
too  much  of  his  time.  But  John  Hoskins,  who  was  a 
fellow-pupil,  declares  that  "  Abe  took  the  lead,  and  was 
big  in  spellin',"  when  "we  would  choose  up,  and 
spell  every  Friday  night." 

Here,  Abraham's  school-days  ended ;  and  all  his 
schodling  amounted  to  less  than  one  year.    Neverthe- 


A   NEW  MOTHER  AND  SCHOOLS.  1 19 

less,  according  to  David  Turnham,  he  completely 
drained  his  teachers.  We  have  his  word  for  it,  that 
"  Abe  beat  all  his  masters,  and  it  was  no  use  for  him 
to  try  to  learn  any  more  from  them." 

We  may  add,  in  closing  this  chapter,  that  about  this 
time,  Levi  Hall,  a  relative  of  the  Lincolns,  removed  from 
Kentucky  with  his  family,  and  settled  near  them. 
Also  John  Hanks,  cousin  of  the  first  Mrs.  Lincoln,  and 
son  of  Joseph  Hanks  of  Elizabethtown,  of  whom  Tom 
Lincoln  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  came  to  live  with 
the  latter.  John  had  no  education  ;  could  neither  read 
nor  write ;  but  he  was  a  temperate,  upright,  truthful 
man,  without  a  particle  of  Abraham's  wit,  and  none  of 
his  extreme  awkwardness.  He  lived  four  years  with 
Mr.  Lincoln;  then  returned  to  Kentucky;  whence  he 
removed  to  Illinois,  where  we  shall  meet  him  again. 


CHAPTER    IX. 
BORROWING,   AND  WHAT  CAME   OF  IT. 

[HE   greatest   man    that   ever    lived ! "    said 
Abraham,  as    he   sat   upon  a  log   in   the 
woods,  conversing   with   David  Turnham. 
"  This  country  has  a  right  to  be  proud  of 
Washington." 

"  That  is   your  opinion ;    but  I  guess  the    British 
won't  say  so,"  answered  David. 

''And  that  is  just  because  they  were  whipped  by 
him  ;  and  they  don't  want  to  own  up." 

"  How  do   you  know  so  much  about  Washington, 

Abe.?" 

"  Because   I   have  read  about   him,  and   I   always 
heard  that  he  made  the  red-coats  run  for   life." 
"  Who  do  you  mean  by  the  red-coats  ? " 
"  Why,  the  British,  to  be  sure.     They  were  called 
*  red-coats,'  because  they  wore  coats  of  that  color.     I 
expect  that  they  looked  splendidly,  though  they  did  n't 
feel  very  splendidly,  I  guess,  after  they  got  whipped." 
"  Have  you  read  the  Life  of  Washington?" 
"  Of  course  I  have,  a  good  while  ago.     I  read  Ram- 
say's Life  of  Washington,  and  that  shows  that  he  was 
the  greatest  man  who  ever  lived." 


BORROWING,  AND  WHAT  CAME  OF  IT.      121 

**  Is  that  like  the  one  Josiah  Crawford  has  ?" 

**  I  did  n't  know  that  Mr.  Crawford  had  a  Life  of 
Washington." 

*'  Well,  he  has  ;  for  I  heard  him  talking  with  father 
about  it." 

"  How  long  ago  .^ " 

*•  Not  more  than  two  or  three  weeks  ago." 

•*  You  don't  know  the  name  of  the  author  }  There 
are  lives  of  Washington  written  by  different  men." 

'*  I  don't  remember  who  wrote  this.  I  did  n't  mind 
much  about  what  they  were  saying." 

"  I  can  find  out,"  added  Abraham ;  and  he  did 
find  out.  He  embraced  the  first  opportunity  to  in- 
quire of  a  neighbor,  and  learned  that  it  was  Weems's 
Life  of  Washington  that  Mr.  Crawford  owned. 

*'  Can  I  borrow  it  .-* "  he  inquired  of  his  parents,  for 
he  was  very  anxious  to  read  it. 

"  Perhaps  he  won't  like  to  lend  it,"  answered  his 
mother. 

"  I  shall  find  that  out  when  I  ask  him,"  said  Abra- 
ham. 

"  And  you  should  tell  him  that  you  will  not  take  it 
unless  he  is  perfectly  willing  to  let  you  have  it." 

**  Then  I  may  ask  him,  may  1 1 " 

"  If  you  are  very  desirous  to  read  it." 

"  Well,  I  am,  and  I  will  go  there  to-night  when  I 
get  through  work." 

Abraham  was  elated  with  the  idea  of  getting  hold  of 
this  new  work.  He  viewed  the  character  of  Wash- 
ington with  admiration,  and  he  would  know  what 
different  biographers  said  of  him.  He  was  not  a  little 
impatient  for  his  day's  work  to  be  done.     He  toiled  as 


122       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

usual,  however,  with  a  good  degree  of  interest  in  his 
work,  until  night,  when  he  prepared  himself  to  call  on 
Mr.  Crawford. 

The  family  gave  him  a  cordial  welcome,  and  Mrs. 
Crawford  said  :  **  I  wonder  what  has  brought  you  out 
to-night.     I  have  n't  seen  you  here  for  a  long  time." 

"■  Perhaps  you  won't  be  so  glad  to  see  me  after  you 
learn  what  I  came  for,"  replied  Abraham. 

"  And  what  did  you  come  for,  that  makes  you  think 
so.-*"  asked  Mr.  Crawford. 

**  I  came  to  borrow  a  book." 

"  A  book,  hey!     That  is  a  good  errand,  I  am  sure." 

"  But  I  did  not  know  as  you  would  be  willing  to 
lend  it." 

"  What  book  is  it  t  "  asked  Mr.  Crawford.  *'  I  have 
no  doubt  that  I  can  accommodate  you." 

*'  It  is  the  Life  of  Washington.  I  was  told  that  you 
had  it,  and  I  want  to  read  it." 

'*  I  wish  all  the  boys  wanted  to  read  it,"  said  Mr. 
Crawford.  "  I  will  lend  it  to  you,  Abe,  with  great 
pleasure.     I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  like  to  read." 

''  I  will  not  take  it  unless  you  are  perfectly  willing 
to  lend  it,"  said  Abraham. 

"  If  I  did  not  want  you  should  have  it,  I  should  tell 
you  so.  I  am  not  one  of  those  persons  who  are  afraid 
to  tell  what  they  think.  I  am  glad  that  I  have  the 
book  to  lend  you." 

*'  I  will  take  good  care  of  it,  and  return  it  to  you 
all  safe,"  responded  Abraham.  This  was  just  like  him. 
So  considerate  a  boy  would  not  ask  the  loan  of  a  book 
without  some  diffidence,  and  when  it  was  borrowed,  he 
would  feel  that  great  care  must  be  used  to  preserve  it 


BORROWING,  AND  WHAT  CAME  OF  IT.      1 23 

He  valued  the  few  books  which  he  himself  possessed 
so  highly  as  to  lead  him  to  think  that  other  people 
held  their  volumes  in  equal  estimation.  It  was  really 
an  excellent  trait  of  character  that  caused  him  to  use 
so  much  discretion  in  borrowing  books,  for  the  bor- 
rowing of  this  single  article  has  been  the  occasion  of 
much  trouble  in  neighborhoods.  In  consequence  of 
thoughtlessness  and  less  regard  for  the  interests  of 
others  than  their  own,  many  persons  have  borrowed 
books  and  never  returned  them,  or  else  returned  them 
in  a  much  worse  condition  than  when  they  were  re- 
ceived. Frequently  books  are  lost  in  this  way  from 
Sabbath-school  and  other  libraries.  Borrowers  do 
not  return  them.  They  think  so  little  of  their  obli- 
gations, that  the  books  are  forgotten  and  lost.  Book- 
borrowers  are  very  apt  to  be  negligent,  so  that  when 
we  see  a  lad  so  particular  as  Abraham  was,  it  is  worth 
while  to  take  note  of  the  fact. 

*'  It  will  take  me  some  time  to  read  so  large  a 
work,"  said  he,  as  he  took  it  from  Mr.  Crawford. 
"  Perhaps  you  will  want  it  before  I  get  through  with 
it. 

"  Oh,  no  ;  you  are  such  a  great  reader  that  you  will 
finish  it  in  short  metre.  Keep  it  as  long  as  you  want 
it,  and  I  shall  be  suited." 

"  I  thank  you,"  Abraham  replied,  as  he  arose  to 
leave.     ''  Good  night." 

**  Good  night,"  several  voices  responded. 

It  was  a  very  joyful  evening  to  Abraham  as  he 
bore  that  Life  of  Washington  home,  and  sat  down 
about  the  middle  of  the  evening  to  read  the  first  chap- 
ter therein. 


124       PIOXEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

*'  Keep  it  nice,"  said  his  mother.  ''  Remember  that 
it  is  a  borrowed  book." 

"I  will  try"  he  replied.  "Mr.  Crawford  was  per- 
fectly willing  to  lend  it,  and  I  shall  be  none  the  less 
careful  on  that  account." 

Those  were  pleasant  hours  of  leisure  that  he  de- 
voted to  reading  Weems's  Life  of  Washington.  Every 
evening,  after  his  day's  labor  was  completed,  he  read 
the  work  with  absorbing  interest,  and  at  other  times, 
when  he  could  find  a  spare  moment,  it  was  in  his  hand. 
He  had  nearly  completed  it,  when  the  following 
mishap  caused  him  many  unpleasant  thoughts  and 
feelings. 

A  driving  storm  was  raging,  so  that  he  could  per- 
form little  labor  except  what  could  be  done  under 
cover.  Of  course  his  book  was  in  his  hand  much  of 
the  time,  and  the  whole  of  the  dreary  evening,  to  a 
late  hour,  was  his  companion.  On  going  to  bed,  he 
laid  it  down  directly  under  a  large  crack  between  the 
logs,  and  the  wind  changing  in  the  night,  the  rain  was 
driven  into  the  house,  and  the  book  was  wet  through. 
The  first  sight  that  met  Abraham's  eyes  in  the 
morning  was  the  drenched  book,  and  his  feelings  can 
be  better  imagined  than  described. 

"  O  dear  ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  That  book  is  spoiled !  " 
And  he  could  scarcely  restrain  the  tears  that  welled 
up  to  his  eyes. 

*'  How  did  you  happen  to  lay  it  there  ?  "  asked  his 
mother. 

"  I  never  thought  about  its  raining  in  there.  But 
only  look  at  it !  it  is  completely  soaked ! "  and  he  lifted 
it  up  carefully  to  show  his  mother. 


BORROWING,  AND  WHAT  CAME  OF  IT.      1 25 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  sorry  !  it  is  ruined  !  "  she  said. 

"  I  can  dry  it,"  answered  Abraham,  ''  but  that  will 
not  leave  it  decent.  See  !  the  cover  will  drop  off,  and 
there  is  no  help  for  it.  What  will  Mr.  Crawford  say  } 
I  told  him  that  I  would  keep  it  very  carefully,  and  re- 
turn it  to  him  uninjured." 

"Well,  it  is  done,  and  can't  be  helped  now,"  added 
his  mother ;  "  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  can  fix  it 
with  Mr.  Crawford." 

"  I  have  no  money  to  pay  him  for  it,  and  I  don't  see 
how  I  can  make  it  good  to  him.  He  ought  to  be  paid 
for  it." 

"  Of  course  he  had,  and  he  may  want  you  to  do 
some  work  for  him,  which  will  be  the  same  as  money 
to  him.  You'd  better  take  the  book  to  him  to-day 
and  see  what  you  can  do." 

"  I  am  almost  ashamed  to  go.  He  will  think  that  I 
am  a  careless  fellow." 

"  Never  be  ashamed  to  do  right,  my  son." 

"  I  am  not  ashamed  to  do  right.  I  was  only  say- 
ing how  I  felt.  I  told  him  that  I  would  keep  it 
nicely." 

"And  so  you  meant  to;  but  accidents  will  happen 
sometimes,  even  if  we  are  careful." 

"He  shall  be  paid  for  it  somehow,"  continued  Abra- 
ham.    "  I  will  see  him  today." 

The  volume  was  exposed  to  the  heat  of  the  fire  that 
day,  and  v/hen  Abraham  was  ready  to  go  to  Mr.  Craw- 
ford's in  the  evening,  it  was  dry  enough  for  transpor- 
tation. The  storm  had  passed  away,  and  the  stars  were 
looking  down  from  the  skies,  as  he  took  the  book, 
carefully  wrapped  in  a  cotton  handkerchief,  and  pro- 


126       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


ceeded  to  Mr.  Crawford's.     His  heart  was  heavy  and 
sad,  and  he  dreaded  to  open  the  subject  to  him. 

"  Good  evening,  Abe !  Got  through  with  the  book 
so  quick }  "  said  Mr.  Crawford. 

"  Good  evening,"  responded  Abraham,  in  his  usual 
manly  way.  ''  I  have  brought  the  book  back,  although 
I  have  not  finished  it." 

"  Keep  it,  then,  keep  it,"  replied  Mr.  Crawford, 
before  the  lad  could  tell  his  story.  ''  I  told  you  to  keep 
it  as  long  as  you  wanted  it." 

"  Perhaps  you  won't  want  I  should  keep  it  when  you 
hear  what  has  happened  to  it."  And  he  proceeded  to 
untie  the  handkerchief  in  which  it  was  wrapped. 

''There,"  continued  Abraham,  exhibiting  the  book; 
"  it  is  ruined.  I  laid  it  down  last  night  where  the  rain 
beat  in  and  wet  it  through,  and  it  is  spoiled.  I'm  very 
sorry  indeed,  and  want  to  pay  you  for  it  in  some  way." 

Josiah  Crawford  was  a  hard  man  by  nature,  and  an 
excess  of  whiskey  made  him  harder.  He  was  not  a 
relative  of  Andrew  Crawford,  the  teacher,  although  he 
was  like  him  in  one  particular  —  he  had  an  ungovern- 
able temper.  At  sight  of  the  ruined  volume  his 
countenance  changed,  and  he  snapped  out  in  his  wrath  : 

"  Carelessness  !     Pretty  mess  for  a  borrowed  book." 

Had  he  not  been  a  good  friend  of  Abraham,  there  is 
no  telling  what  abuse  he  might  have  heaped  upon  the 
boy.  As  it  was,  with  all  his  regard  for  Abraham  as  an 
uncommon  youth,  he  poured  out  large  vials  of  wrath 
upon  him,  the  boy  all  the  while  declaring  that  he  was 
willing  to  pay  for  it. 

"  I've  ruined  the  book,  and  I'll  do  any  work  you  say 
to  pay  for  it.     Have  you  any  work  I  can  do .?" 


BORROWING,  AND  WHAT  CAME  OF  IT.      127 

Crawford's  wrath  abated  somewhat  when  he  heard 
the  word  work.  The  idea  of  getting  work  out  of  the 
lad  was  tempting  to  him  ;  for  he  was  an  unscrupulous, 
avaricious,  stingy  man,  and  now  was  his  time  to  take 
advantage  of  Abraham's  generosity. 

"  Yes,  work  enough,"  he  growled,  angry  as  a  panther 
that  prowled  about  the  forest  at  night. 

"How  much  was  the  book  worth  ?"  asked  Abraham. 
"Mor  n  I'll  ever  get,"  Crawford  growled  again. 
"I'll  work  to  pay  its  full  value,  and  keep  it  for  my 
own,  if  you  say  so,"  continued  Abraham. 

After  further  parleying,  Crawford,  seeing  his  oppor- 
tunity to  make  something  out  of  Abraham,  cooled 
down  to  ordinary  heat,  and  proceeded  to  say : 

"I  tell  you  what  it  is,  Abe,  I'm  in  great  trouble  about 
my  corn.  You  see  the  whole  of  my  corn  has  been 
stripped  of  the  blades  as  high  as  the  ear,  and  is  now 
ready  to  have  the  tops  cut  off  for  winter  fodder ;  but 
my  hands  are  full  of  other  work,  and  how  it  is  to  be 
done  is  more  than  I  can  tell.  Now,  if  you  can  help  me 
out  of  this  scrape,  we  can  square  the  account  about  the 
book." 

"  I'll  do  it,"  replied  Abraham,  with  emphasis.  "  How 
much  of  it  shall  I  cut.?" 

"All  of  it,  of  course,"  answered  Crawford,  un- 
pleasantly; ''you  can't  expect  to  get  such  a  book  for 
nothing." 

Abraham  was  taken  somewhat  by  surprise  by  this 
exorbitant  demand  ;  nevertheless,  he  was  equal  to  the 
occasion,  and  promptly  responded: 

"Well,  then,  I'll  cut  the  whole  of  it;  when  shall  I 
begin.?" 


128       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"To-morrow  morning ; "  and  the  exacting  manner  in 
which  he  thus  proceeded  awakened  Abraham's  con- 
tempt for  him.     Still  he  answered  : 

"  To-morrow  morning  it  is,  then ;  I'll  be  on  hand  as 
early  as  you  want  to  see  me." 

Abraham  hastened  home  and  reported.  His  parents 
united  with  him  in  the  opinion  that  it  was  one  of  Craw- 
ford's acts  of  extortion.  Still,  they  were  glad  that  their 
son  could  settle  the  affair  in  some  way. 

Abraham  undertook  to  redeem  his  pledge  on  the  next 
day,  and,  bright  and  early,  he  was  in  Crawford's  corn- 
field. There  were  several  acres  of  the  corn,  and  several 
days  of  very  hard  work  would  be  required  to  finish  the 
job.  Abraham  bent  himself  to  the  task  with  more  than 
usual  determination,  and  completed  it  in  about  three 
days,  although  ordinarily,  a  man  would  have  needed 
nearly  five  days  in  which  to  perform  the  work. 

Abraham  never  forgot  the  extortion  which  Crawford 
practised  upon  him,  and  he  always  despised  his  over- 
reaching propensity.  Still,  he  was  glad  to  own  another 
volume,  especially  one  of  so  much  value  as  Weems's 
Life  of  Washington.  That  Crawford  forgot  his  own 
meanness,  is  quite  evident  from  the  fact,  that,  sub- 
sequently, he  sought  Abraham's  services,  and  those  of 
his  sister  to  assist  his  wife.  Both  Abraham  and  Sarah 
were  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  earn  an  honest  dollar, 
and  accepted  his  proposition.  They  lived  with  Craw- 
ford several  months  during  that  year,  and  pleased  the 
crabbed  old  fellow  mightily.  Abraham  finished  his  log- 
house  by  "  daubing  it,"  that  is,  filling  the  interstices 
between  the  unhewn  logs  with  clay,  especially  the  loft 
in  which  he  lodged. 


BORROWING,  AND  WHAT  CAME  OF  IT.      1 29 

He  split  many  rails  for  Crawford  during  that  season, 
planted,  sowed  and  harvested,  receiving  only  twenty- 
five  cents  a  day.  If  he  lost  only  a  few  minutes  from 
hard  work,  as  he  would  on  some  days,  his  employer 
deducted  it  from  his  small  wages,  thereby  exposing  his 
contemptible  spirit,  though  Abraham  never  protested. 

Abraham  might  not  have  remained  at  Crawford's 
during  the  whole  season,  but  for  the  presence  of  his 
sister  there,  and  his  high  respect  for  Mrs.  Crawford, 
who  was  an  excellent  woman  ;  "  nothing  that  her  hus- 
band was,  and  everything  that  he  was  not." 

He  found  several  books  there  which  he  had  never 
seen  before  ;  and  these  he  read  over  and  over  at  niirht. 
One  of  them  was  the  Kentucky  Preceptor,  which  he 
pored  over  with  unusual  interest,  because  it  contained 
dialogues  and  declamations.  Many  of  these  he  com- 
mitted to  memory ;  indeed,  when  his  time  was  up  at 
Crawford's,  he  had  no  need  to  carry  away  the  books, 
for  the  contents  of  them  were  in  his  head.  Although 
his  employer  paid  him  little  more  than  half  of  what  the 
boy  ought  to  have  had,  it  proved  to  be  a  good  place  for 
him  on  account  of  the  books  that  he  used  for  his  own 
personal  improvement. 

Josiah  Crawford  was  as  homely  as  he  was  ill-tempered. 
The  lids  of  his  eyes  were  red  as  a  lobster's  claw,  and  his 
nose  was  considerably  longer  than  it  should  have  been 
for  symmetry  and  beauty  ;  and  what  was  worse  yet,  a 
bad  habit  had  pimpled  and  reddened  the  end  of  it  as  if 
purposely  to  make  him  ugly-looking.  Abraham  cele- 
brated the  characteristics  of  Crawford's  nose  in  verse, 
sometime  after  he  ceased  laboring  for  him,  perhaps  the 
following  winter.     Afterwards  when  he  was  indulging 


130       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

his  gift  for  ''  Chronicles,"  he  embahiied  the  memory  of 
it  in  that  style  of  composition.  These  literary  efforts 
spread  both  the  fame  of  Crawford's  nose  and  the  talents 
of  the  writer.  How  widely  the  subject-matter  of  his 
"verse"  and  "chronicles"  were  discussed  and  enjoyed, 
is  learned  from  the  fact  that  one  of  his  biographers 
says,  that  the  fame  of  Crawford's  nose  spread  "■  as  wide 
as  to  the  Wabash  and  the  Ohio."  We  cite  the  incident 
only  to  show  that  Abraham  wielded  a  facile  pen  at  that 
early  day,  and  that  the  people  regarded  him  as  a  mar- 
vellous boy. 

Mrs.  Josiah  Crawford  records  a  curious  incident  con- 
cerning Abraham.  During  the  season  he  worked  for 
lier  husband,  he  frequently  lingered  after  dinner  to 
have  a  frolic  with  the  girls  in  the  kitchen.  One  day 
lie  became  unusually  boisterous,  when  Mrs.  Crawford 
reproved  him  for  "fooling,"  and  asked,  "  What  do  you 
think  will  ever  become  of  you.-^"  Abraham  replied 
]  romptly,  "  be  President  of  the  United  States."  Nor  was 
this  the  only  occasion  of  his  making  a  similar  remark. 
He  often  used  it  in  his  boyhood  and  youth.  As  his 
miserable  surroundings  absolutely  precluded  any  such 
i  lea,  and  he  was  wont  to  joke  about  his  homeliness, 
J  overty  and  future  promise,  some  of  his  friends  suppose 
that  he  made  the  remark  in  a  vein  of  joleasantry.  But 
\.hcthcr  so  or  not,  the  fact  is  worthy  of  record. 

Long  before  this  time,  Mr.  Lincoln  had  discontinued 
th.c  use  of  his  domestic  grist-mill,  for  Hoffman  built  a 
r  i]l  to  run  by  water,  on  Anderson's  Creek,  twelve 
riiiles  away.  To  this  mill  Abraham  and  David  Turn- 
ham  carried  their  grists,  until  Gordon  built  a  horse- 
mill  within  a  few  miles  of  Lincoln's  cabin.     Then  their 


BORROWING,  AND  WHAT  CAME  OF  IT.      131 

patronage  was  transferred  to  Gordon's.     To  the  latter 
place  Abraham  carried  a  grist  one  day,  and  safely  tied 
the  ''old  mare"  while  waiting  for  the  grinding.     When 
the  time  came  to  start  for  home,  he  untied  The  mare, 
jumped  on,  and  started  the  animal  so  suddenly  with  a 
"  cluck,"  and  stroke  of  a  stick,  that  she  kicked  furiously, 
and  knocked  him  head  over  heels,  from  the  cart  to  the 
ground.     He  was  picked  up  in  a  state  of  insensibility, 
the  bystanders  fearing  that  life  was  extinct.     For  sev- 
eral minutes  he  remained   insensible,  and  when  con- 
sciousness returned,  he  finished  the  ''cluck,"  that  was 
only  half  uttered  when  the  ugly  beast  knocked  him 
over.     Many  years  afterward,  he  had  discussions  with 
his  law  partner  at  Springfield,  111.,  Mr.  Herndon,  as  to 
the  psychological  explanation  of  this  remarkable  phe- 
nomenon.     One   person  remarked   that    it   "was   an 
illustration  of  Abe's  perseverance  —  he  always  accom- 
plished what  he  undertook." 

The  next  chapter  will  disclose  the  manner  in  which 
Abraham  worked  and  studied,  growing  in  knowledge 
and  popularity  daily. 


CHAPTER    X. 

WORKING   AND   WINNING. 

|HE  reader  should  understand  the  society 
in  which  Abraham  mixed,  in  order  to  ap- 
preciate fully  the  elements  of  character 
which  enabled  him  to  work  and  win  from 
fifteen  to  eighteen  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Crawford,  whom 
we  have  already  quoted,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Herndon, 
furnishes  rather  a  vivid  picture  of  the  social  state  at 
that  time.     She  says  :  — 

'^  You  wish  me  to  tell  you  how  the  people  used  to 
go  to  meeting, — how  far  they  went.  At  that  time  we 
thought  it  nothing  to  go  eight  or  ten  miles.  The  old 
ladies  did  not  stop  for  the  want  of  a  shawl,  or  cloak,  or 
riding-dress,  or  two  horses,  in  the  winter  time ;  but 
they  would  put  on  their  husband's  old  overcoats,  and 
wrap  up  their  little  ones,  and  take  one  or  two  of  them 
up  on  their  beasts,  and  their  husbands  would  walk, 
and  they  would  go  to  church,  and  stay  in  the  neighbor- 
hood until  the  next  day,  and  then  go  home.  The  old 
men  would  start  out  of  their  fields  from  their  work,  or 
out  of  the  woods  from  hunting,  with  their  guns  on 
their  shoulders,  and  go  to  church.  Some  of  them 
dressed    in    deerskin    pants    and    moccasins,   hunting- 


WORKING  AND    WINNING,  1 33 

shirts  with  a  rope  or  leather  strap  around  them.  They 
would  come  in  laughing,  shake  hands  all  around,  sit 
down  and  talk  about  their  game  they  had  killed,  or 
some  other  work  they  had  done,  and  smoke  their  pipes 
together  with  the  old  ladies.  If  in  warm  weather,  they 
would  kindle  up  a  little  fire  out  in  the  meeting-house 
yard,  to  light  their  pipes.  If  in  the  winter-time,  they 
would  hold  church  in  some  of  the  neighbors'  houses. 
At  such  times  they  were  always  treated  with  the  utmost 
kindness  ;  a  bottle  of  whiskey,  a  pitcher  of  water,  sugar 
and  a  glass,  were  set  out,  or  a  basket  of  apples,  or 
turnips,  or  some  pies  and  cakes.  Apples  were  scarce 
at  that  time.  Sometimes  potatoes  were  used  as  a 
treat.  The  first  treat  I  ever  received  in  old  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's house  (that  was  our  President's  father's  house), 
was  a  plate  of  potatoes,  washed  and  pared  very  nicely, 
and  handed  round.  It  was  something  new  to  me,  for 
I  had  never  seen  a  raw  potato  eaten  before.  I  looked 
to  see  how  they  made  use  of  them.  Each  took  off  a 
potato,  and  ate  it  like  an  apple.  Thus  they  spent  the 
time  till  preaching  commenced  ;  then  they  would  all 
take  their  seats ;  the  preacher  would  take  his  stand, 
draw  off  his  coat,  open  his  shirt-collar,  commence  ser- 
vice by  singing  and  prayer ;  take  his  text  and  preach  till 
the  sweat  would  roll  off  in  great  drops.  Shaking  hands 
and  singing  ended  the  service.  The  people  seemed  to 
enjoy  religious  service  more  in  those  days  than  they 
do  now.  They  were  glad  to  see  each  other,  and  en- 
joyed themselves  better  than  they  do  now." 

The  population  had  increased  very  much  at  the 
period  of  which  Mrs.  Crawford  speaks,  and  log  meet- 
ing-houses were  found  here  and  thefe,  at  least  for  sum- 


134       PIOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

mer  use.  Some  of  them  were  too  open  and  cold  for 
winter  use. 

The  people  w^ere  very  superstitious,  as  unlettered 
people  usually  are.  Mr.  Lamon  has  recorded  their 
superstitious  notions  in  a  single  paragraph,  thus  :  — 

"  They  firmly  believed  in  witches  and  all  kinds  of 
witch-doings.  They  sent  for  wizards  to  cure  sick 
cattle.  They  shot  the  image  of  the  witch  with  a 
silver  ball,  to  break  the  spell  she  was  supposed  to  have 
laid  on  a  human  being.  If  a  dog  ran  directly  across  a 
man's  path  whilst  he  was  hunting,  it  was  terrible 
Muck,'  unless  he  instantly  hooked  his  two  little 
fingers  together,  and  pulled  with  all  his  might,  until 
the  dos:  was  out  of  sio:ht.  There  were  wizards  who 
took  charmed  sticks  in  their  hands,  and  made  them 
point  to  springs  of  water  and  all  kinds  of  treasure  be- 
neath the  earth's  surface.  There  were  'faith  doctors' 
who  cured  diseases  by  performing  mysterious  cere_ 
monies  and  muttering  cabalistic  words.  If  a  bird 
alighted  in  a  window,  one  of  the  family  would  speedily 
die.  If  a  horse  breathed  on  a  child,  the  child  would 
have  the  whooping-cough.  Every  thing  must  be  done 
at  certain  'times  and  seasons.'  They  must  make 
fence  'in  the  light  of  the  moon,'  otherwise  the  fence 
would  sink.  Potatoes  and  other  roots  were  to  be 
planted  '  in  the  dark  of  the  moon,'  but  trees  and 
plants  which  bare  their  fruits  above  ground  must  be 
'put  out  in  the  light  of  the  moon.'  The  moon  exerted 
a  fearful  influence,  either  kindly  or  malignant,  as  the 
good  old  rules  were  observed  or  not.  It  was  even  re- 
quired to  make  soap  '  in  the  light  of  the  moon,'  and, 
moreover,  it  musfbe  stirred  only  one  way,  and  by  one 


WORKIXG  AND    WINN  TNG.  1 35 

person.  Nothing  of  importance  was  to  be  begun  on 
Friday.  All  enterprises  inaugurated  on  that  day  went 
fatally  amiss." 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  reared  from  infancy  to  man- 
hood among  these  people.  Their  manners,  customs, 
habits,  and  opinions,  were  familiar  to  him,  and  he  knew 
no  others  by  which  to  judge  of  them  by  contrast.  The 
children  of  those  people  were  his  daily  companions. 
He  worked  for  and  with  their  parents,  heard  their 
conversation,  witnessed  their  want  and  ignorance,  and 
nowhere  found  those  intellectual  conditions  which  could 
satisfy  a  mind  like  his.  It  is  not  strange  that  some  of 
the  peculiarities  of  the  people,  with  whom  he  was  reared, 
became  his,  and  clung  to  him  through  life. 

The  incidents  of  this  chapter  will  serve  to  magnify 
the  mental  and  moral  qualities  of  Abraham,  which 
enabled  him  to  improve  and  rise  higher  and  higher 
even  with  such  unfavorable  surroundings. 

James  Taylor,  who  lived  at  the  mouth  of  Anderson's 
Creek,  was  anxious  to  secure  Abraham's  services. 

**  I  will  give  him  six  dollars  a  month  and  his  board," 
said  Mr.  Taylor  to  Mr.  Lincoln  ;  ''and  that  is  good  pay 
for  a  boy  sixteen  years  old." 

''  Fair  pay,"  responded  Mr.  Lincoln..  ''  You  want  him 
to  run  your  ferry-boat.''"  Mr.  Taylor  ran  a  ferry-boat 
across  both  the  Ohio  and  Anderson's  Creek. 

"Yes,  and  other  jobs  that  I  want  done;  some  farm- 
work  ;  to  take  care  of  the  horses,  and  chore  about,"  was 
Mr.  Taylor's  reply. 

"  Abe  can  do  as  well  by  you  in  such  work  as  a  man 
grown,  though  I  don't  expect  to  get  a  man's  wages  for 
him,"  added  Mr.  Lincoln. 


136       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


"That  is  the  reason  I  want  him,"  said  Mr.  Taylor. 
"I  would  n't  give  many  boys  that  price  anyhow;  but  I 
know  that  Abe  is  reliable,  and  he  knows  which  side  his 
bread  is  buttered." 

"For  how  many  months  will  you  pay  him  six  dollars 
a  month.''" 

"For  nine  months  certainly,  and  perhaps  longer." 

"That's  satisfactory  ;  perhaps  I  won't  want  he  should 
stay  any  longer." 

"  Well,"  continued  Mr.  Taylor,  "do  I  understand  that 
he  may  go.-*     I  want  him  at  once." 

"  He  may  go,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln  ;  "  and  he  may 
begin  at  once  if  you  say  so." 

"  I  say  so  ;  and  shall  expect  to  see  him  to-morrow," 
added  Mr.  Taylor,  as  he  turned  away  and  drove  off. 

Abraham  was  duly  installed  ferryman  by  his  employer, 
though  he  was  given  to  understand  that,  at  times,  he 
would  be  expected  to  act  as  farmer,  hostler,  and  house- 
servant.  He  particularly  enjoyed  being  ferryman,  as 
it  was  new  business  for  him  ;  and,  like  most  boys,  he 
loved  boating.  He  was  very  large  of  his  age  and  very 
strong,  and  could  therefore  handle  a  boat  as  easily  and 
effectively  as  a  man.  He  was  growing  rapidly  still, 
and,  at  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  was  six  feet  and  four 
inches  high  —  both  the  tallest  and  strongest  person  in 
Spencer  County. 

Abraham  was  expected  to  be  the  first  one  up  in  the 
house  in  the  morning,  "build  the  fire,"  "put  on  the 
water  in  the  kitchen,"  and  "  get  things  prepared  for 
cooking,"  before  Mrs.  Taylor  put  in  her  appearance. 
Other  things,  such  as  bringing  wood  and  water,  he 
attended  to  with  scrupulous  exactness.      It  was  not 


WORKING  AND    WINNING.  137 

strange  that  the  mistress  of  the  house  soon  came  to 
regard  him  as  the  most  wonderful  boy  she  ever 
knew.  We  doubt  if  she  had  ever  found  a  man  or  boy, 
not  excepting  her  own  husband  and  son,  who  was  so 
"wonderful"  as  to  "chore  about"  as  Abraham  did, 
without  protesting.  He  was  in  the  truest  sense  a 
" man-of -all-work "  at  Taylor's,  doing  whatsoever  his 
hands  found  to  do  with  all  his  might. 

Here  Abraham  found  a  History  of  the  United 
States,  and  two  or  three  other  volumes,  that  en- 
grossed his  attention  at  night.  He  slept  up  stairs 
with  Green  Taylor,  son  of  his  employer,  a  young  man 
older  than  himself,  without  any  of  his  brightness  or 
ambition ;  and  there  he  often  extended  his  reading 
far  into  the  night,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  his  bed- 
fellow. 

"  Blow  out  that  light  and  come  to  bed,  Abe,"  he 
exclaimed  more  than  once.  "  I'll  be  bound  if  you  shall 
spoil  my  sleep  for  a  book." 

"  Let  me  read  you  a  page  or  two,"  Abraham  pro- 
vokingly,  though  jocosely,  answered.  "A  snooze  is  of 
no  account  in  comparison  with  the  History  of  the 
United  States."  And  he  continued  to  read  until 
interrupted  by  another  appeal  out  of  the  bedclothes. 

"Abe,  I  say,  if  you  don't  come  to  bed,  I'll  get  up 
and  blow  your  light  out." 

"  Will }  Well ;  I  would  if  I  was  in  your  place.  Per- 
haps you  can  blow  it  out  without  getting  up.  Try  it ; 
there  is  a  good  amount  of  blow  in  you." 

The  fretted  sleeper  could  get  no  satisfaction  in 
appealing  to  the  midnight  reader.  A  good-natured 
humorous  reply  was  all  Abraham  would  yield  to  him. 


I3S        PIOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Once  Green  Taylor  struck  the  **  hired  boy,"  in  an  angry 
mood,  but  Abraham  did  not  strike  back  again.  He 
was  indignant  enough  to  do  it ;  but,  being  a  greater 
warrior  than  he  who  taketh  a  city,  he  controlled  his 
own  spirit,  and  continued  to  read  on.  Years  after- 
wards Green  Taylor  lived  to  rehearse  his  experience 
with  Abraham,  and  tell  what  a  marvellous  boy  he  was. 

**Why,  he  would  work  hard  all  day,  read  till  mid- 
night, and  then  get  up  before  anybody  in  the  morning. 
I  never  saw  such  a  fellow.  He  was  like  Abe  Lincoln 
and  nobody  else."  Referring  to  his  act  of  striking 
him,  he  said,  *'  Abe  was  mad,  but  he  didn't  thrash 
me."  The  language  implies  that  Abraham  could 
easily  have  avenged  himself  by  whipping  the  offender, 
but  that  he  forbore  —  his  better  judgment  and  nature 
controlling  instead  of  passion. 

At  Taylor's,  Abraham  tried  his  hand  at  hog-killing 
for  the  first  time.  He  had  assisted  many  times  in  the 
slaughtering  of  hogs,  but  never  before  had  played  the 
part  of  butcher. 

"  You  can  try  it,  Abe,"  said  Mr.  Taylor,  who  saw 
that  the  boy  could  do  anything  he  would  undertake. 
"  What  do  you  say  }  " 

"Just  as  yoic  say,"  answered  Abraham;  "if  you'll 
risk  the  hogs  I'll  risk  myself."  Mr.  Taylor,  laughing 
at  this  reply,  responded  : — 

"  I'll  take  the  risk  ;  so  you  may  go  ahead." 

In  this  way  Abraham  became  a  butcher,  and  soon 
grew  so  expert  in  the  rough  business  that  farmers  em- 
ployed him.  He  slaughtered  hogs  for  John  Dathan, 
Stephen  Mc  Daniels,  John  Woods,  and  others ;  and 
Mr.   Taylor   received   thirty-one  cents  a  day  for  the 


WORKING  AND    WINNING.  139 

boy's  services  in  this  line.  He  did  the  business  well^ 
and  for  that  reason,  his  labors  were  demanded  for  hog- 
killing. 

Ferryman,  farmer,  hostler,  house-servant,  butcher  — 
all  for  one  man,  and  all  well  done.  Mr.  Taylor  unwit- 
tingly paid  him  a  high  compliment,  when  he  remarked 
to  a  neighbor,  **  Abe  will  do  one  thing  about  as  well  as 
another."  Perhaps  he  did  not  know  the  reason,  which 
was,  plainly,  that  thoroughness  was  a  rule  with  him. 
Whatever  he  did,  he  did  as  well  as  he  could. 

At  the  expiration  of  nine  months,  Abraham  returned 
home.  His  sister  married  Aaron  Grigsby  soon  after 
his  return,  and  the  event  was  celebrated  in  pioneer 
style,  in  Lincoln's  cabm.  Abraham  composed  for  the 
occasion,  what  he  entitled  "Adam  and  Eve's  Wedding 
Song,"  two  verses  of  which  were,  — 

"  The  Lord  was  not  willing 

That  man  should  be  alone. 
But  caused  a  sleep  upon  him, 

And  took  from  him  a  bone. 

The  woman  was  not  taken 

From  Adam's  feet  we  see  ; 
So  he  must  not  abuse  her, 

The  meaning  seems  to  be." 

This  song  was  sung  at  the  wedding  with  much  eclat. 
We  may  add,  in  this  connection,  that  Abraham  had 
become  an  almost  indispensable  appendage  to  festive 
occasions  in  all  that  region.  He  was  the  only  person 
who  could  furnish  any  literary  production  for  the 
amusement  of  either  the  old  or  young.  He  was  sur- 
charged  with  wit  and  humor,   also,  and  it  was  only 


I40       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

necessary  to  touch  him,  on  such  occasions,  and  he 
emitted  both  like  electric  sparks.  He  could  recite 
pages  of  poetry  and  prose,  and  somehow  he  could  adapt 
them  to  any  exigency  that  might  arise.  In  short,  his 
talents  and  unusual  acquisitions  made  him  a  favorite  in 
all  social  gatherings. 

One  year  after  Sarah  Lincoln  was  married,  she  died, 
and  was  laid  beside  her  mother  on  the  knoll.  This  was 
a  great  sorrow  to  Abraham,  who  loved  his  sister  ten- 
derly ;  and,  for  a  time,  bis  spirits  were  considerably 
depressed. 

Some  time  after  he  served  Taylor,  he  went  to  live 
with  the  storekeeper  Jones,  at  Gentryville,  only  one 
mile  and  a  half  from  his  home.  He  was  how  a  giant 
in  stature  —  six  feet  and  four  inches  tall  —  almost  too 
tall  to  have  about  in  log-cabins.  Jones  was  an 
admirer  of  Abraham,  and  admitted  him  at  once  to  his 
confidence. 

"  You  can  cut  up  pork,  can't  you,  Abe  V  Jones  asked. 

"  Yes ;  I  can  do  anything  about  pork,  from  killing 
and  dressing  to  eating  it."  Jones  bought  dressed  hogs, 
exchanging  goods  for  them  ;  also  venison  hams,  corn, 
wheat,  and  corn-skins.  Corn  was  ten  cents  a  bushel, 
and  wheat  twenty-five  cents. 

"  How  about  the  store,  Abe  }    Can  you  keep  store } " 

"I've  never  tried  it,"  answered  Abraham.  "I'm  so 
stylish  and  graceful  that  I  might  attract  customers 
possibly."  He  was  always  jocose  over  his  awkward 
and  homely  bearing,  and  so  he  replied  to  Jones  in  this 
facetious  way. 

"Well,  I'll  give  you  a  chance  to  display  your  attrac- 
tions," continued  Jones.     "  There's  a  great  variety  of 


WORKING  AND    WINNING.  14I 

work  to  be  done  in  such  a  place  as  this  —  teaming, 
cutting  up  and  curing  pork,  packing  and  unpacking 
goods,  measuring  corn  and  wheat,  drawing  molasses 
and  whiskey,  and  tending  store  generally." 

Into  this  work  Abraham  was  inducted  at  once,  a  new 
field  of  labor  to  him  in  some  respects.  He  drove  team, 
packed  and  unpacked  goods,  drew  liquids  in  the  cellar 
when  required,  exhibited  and  sold  crockery,  and  other 
heavy  goods,  to  customers.  Nor  did  he  fail  to  render 
good  service  to  Mrs.  Jones,  who  soon  discovered  how 
"  handy"  he  was  about  the  house. 

Mr.  Jones  possessed  several  books  which  Abraham 
had  not  read,  among  them  the  Life  of  Franklin.  He, 
also,  took  a  newspaper  which  Abraham  read  from 
beginning  to  end.  He  was  quite  a  politician,  too,  a 
Jackson  democrat,  and  he  often  discussed  political 
questions  with  Abraham.  In  fact,  he  made  a  Jackson 
democrat  of  Abraham,  and  the  latter  continued  in  that 
faith,  unshaken,  until  the  Life  of  Henry  Clay  came  into 
his  hands,  a  few  years  later.  Reading  that  life  of  the 
famous  "  Harry  of  the  West,"  rather  shook  his  confi- 
dence in  Jackson's  political  creed.  He  was  particularly 
taken  with  the  discouraging  surroundings  of  Clay  in 
his  boyhood  and  youth,  when  he  was  known  as  the 
"  mill-boy  of  the  slashes,"  because  those  surroundings 
were  so  much  like  those  of  his  own  boyhood.  Some 
of  his  friends  believe  that  reading  the  Life  of  Clay 
turned  his  thoughts  or  aims,  perhaps  unconsciously  to 
himself,  in  the  direction  of  a  public  career.  It  is  cer- 
tain that  he  became  a  "Clay  Whig,"  and  continued  so 
until  the  question  of  liberty  engaged  his  heart  and  soul 
in  Illinois. 


142       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

After  Abraham  ceased  to  serve  Mr.  Jones,  he  con- 
tinued to  visit  his  grocery  often,  in  the  evening,  in 
company  with  Dennis  Hanks  and  other  companions. 
Here  politics  were  discussed,  stories  told,  jokes  cracked, 
and  general  good  friendship  established.  Abraham  was 
the  star  of  the  group,  because  he  was  full  of  wit,  an 
expert  story-teller,  and  the  only  one  of  the  number  who 
could  recite  prose  and  poetry,  and  write  them  too. 

One  night,  when  he  was  returning  from  the  grocery 
quite  late,  in  company  with  David  Turnham  and  others, 
a  man  was  discovered  lying  beside  a  mud-puddle. 

**  Hallo!"  exclaimed  David,  "what's  this,  Abe.?" 
stopping,  and  pulling  the  unknown  man  over. 

'*  Dead  or  drunk,"  remarked  Abraham,  at  the  same 
time  proceeding  to  shake  up  the  man.     "Who  is  it .?" 

"  More'n  I  know ;  nobody  that  I  ever  saw  before," 
David  answered.  "  Shake  him  up  more  and  see 
whether  there's  any  life  in  him."  And  they  shook 
him  thoroughly  to  arouse  him,  but  in  vain. 

"  Plenty  of  rum  in  him  if  there  is  no  life,"  remarked 
Abraham,  after  satisfying  himself  that  the  man  was 
dead  drunk.     "  But  his  case  must  be  attended  to." 

"You  may  attend  to  him  if  you  want  to,  but  I 
sha'n't,"  said  Nat  Grigsby.     "Come,  let's  go  home." 

"  So  I  say,"  added  David  ;  "  it's  too  cold  to  fuss 
about  here.  If  the  fellow  likes  such  a  bed  he  may 
sleep  it  out  for  all  me." 

"  He'll  freeze  to  death  before  morning  if  we  leave 
him  here,"  responded  Abraham. 

"  That's  about  all  he's  good  for,"  chimed  in  Nat. 
By  this  time  they  had  discovered  that  the  man  was  a 
miserable  drunkard  who  lived  some  miles  away.   "  Come 


WORKING  AND    WINNING.  1 43 

on,  I'm  going  home,  whether  the  old  fellow  freezes  or 
not."     And  Nat  started  on. 

"  Well,  I  sha'n't  go  home  until  I  make  out  what  is 
going  to  become  of  this  chap,"  said  Abraham.  **  It 
would  be  inhuman  to  leave  him  to  freeze  here." 

"  Perhaps  it  would,  and  perhaps  it  wouldn't,"  replied 
David.  *'  Nobody  is  any  better  for  his  living,  and  some 
folks  are  worse.  He's  a  good-for-nothing  fellow  any 
way." 

"  That's  no  reason  why  we  should  let  him  die  here 
like  a  dog  or  hog,"  retorted  Abraham  with  some  spirit. 
''  Come,  Dave,  let  that  go,  and  we'll  take  him  over  to 
Dennis'  cabin."  At  this  time  Dennis  Hanks  was  mar- 
ried and  lived  in  a  cabin  a  half  mile  away. 

**  I  think  I  see  myself  tugging  the  miserable  wretch 
a  half  mile  at  this  time  of  night,"  retorted  David. 
"  YoiL  may  make  a  fool  of  yourself  over  him  if  you 
want  to,  but  I  am  going  home."  And  David  started 
for  home,  hearing,  as  he  hurried  away,  Abraham  say- 
ing,—  "Go,  then,  you  hard-hearted  fellow." 

Abraham  was  not  more  than  a  minute  in  determin- 
ing what  to  do.  He  put  his  long  strong  arms  around 
the  drunken  man,  raised  him  up,  flung  him  over  his 
shoulder  as  he  would  a  bag  of  corn,  and  started  for 
Dennis  Hanks'  cabin,  where  he  safely  deposited  him. 

"Look  here,  Dennis,  I've  brought  you  company," 
said  Abraham,  as  he  laid  down  his  burden.  "  More  of 
a  job  to  carry  him  than  a  log." 

"  Where  did  you  find  that  fellow,  Abe  }  "  inquired 
Dennis,  getting  out  of  bed. 

"  In  the  road,  where  he  would  have  died  before 
morning,  if  I'd  left  him  there." 


144       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  know  him  of  old,  not  much  account  any  way," 
added  Dennis. 

"  Account  enough  to  fix  up  a  little,"  retorted  Abra- 
ham. "We  ought  to  be  human  beings  so  long  as  we 
pretend  to  be." 

"Go  ahead,  then,"  said  Dennis,  acquiescing;  "see 
how  you  come  out."  And  he  proceeded  to  assist 
Abraham  in  his  merciful  work.  They  built  a  fire, 
warmed  him,  and  Abraham  rubbed  him  until  con- 
sciousness was  restored.  In  fact,  he  remained  all 
night  with  the  intemperate  man,  and  left  him  in  the 
morning  well  satisfied  with  the  part  he  had  played  as 
"good  Samaritan."  Afterwards,  the  wretched  man 
said  to  John  Hanks,  "  It  was  mighty  clever  in  Abe  to 
take  me  to  a  warm  fire  that  cold  night.  Abe's  strength 
and  kindness  saved  my  life." 


CHAPTER    XI. 

UPWARD  AND   ONWARD. 

|HE  brief  remarks  made  about  Abraham  at 
this  time  show  his  standing. 

''He  is  always  ready  to  do  everything  for 
everybody,"  remarked  his  mother. 

"He  is  good-natured  as  the  days  are  long,"  said 
Dennis  Hanks. 

"Always  reading  when  he  is  not  working,"  said 
Josiah  Crawford. 

"  More  fun  in  him  than  there  is  in  all  the  rest  of  us 
put  together,"  remarked  David  Turnham. 

Such  remarks  as  these  were  common  concerning 
Abraham  Lincoln  from  the  time  he  was  fourteen  years 
of  age.  John  Hanks,  who  went  to  live  with  the  Lincolns, 
as  we  have  said,  when  Abraham  was  fourteen,  says  :  — 

"  When  Abe  and  I  returned  to  the  house  from  work,  he 
would  go  to  the  cupboard,  snatch  a  piece  of  corn-bread, 
take  down  a  book,  sit  down  on  a  chair,  cross  his  legs 
as  high  as  his  head,  and  read.  He  and  I  worked  bare- 
footed, grubbed  it,  ploughed,  mowed,  and  cradled  to- 
gether; ploughed  corn,  gathered  it,  and  shucked  corn. 
Abraham  read  constantly  when  he  had  an  opportu- 
nity." 


146       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Mr.  Lamon  says :  "  Abe  loved  to  lie  under  a  shade- 
tree,  or  up  in  the  loft  of  the  cabin,  and  read,  cipher, 
and  scribble.  At  night,  he  sat  by  the  chimney  "jamb," 
and  ciphered,  by  the  light  of  the  fire,  on  the  wooden 
fire-shovel.  When  the  shovel  was  fairly  covered,  he 
would  shave  it  off  with  Tom  Lincoln's  drawing-knife, 
and  begin  again.  In  the  day  time,  he  used  boards  for 
the  same  purpose,  out  of  doors,  and  went  through  the 
shaving  process  everlastingly." 

His  mother  says :  "  Abe  read  every  book  he  could  lay 
his  hands  on  ;  and  when  he  came  across  a  passage  that 
struck  him,  he  would  write  it  down  on  boards  if  he  had 
no  paper,  and  keep  it  there  until  he  did  get  paper. 
Then  he  would  re-write  it,  look  at  it,  and  repeat  it. 
He  had  a  copy-book,  a  kind  of  scrap-book,  in  which  he 
put  down  all  things,  and  thus  preserved  them." 

There  is  no  record  of  how  and  where  he  obtained  the 
scrap-book.  The  idea  was  entirely  original  with  him, 
since  he  had  never  heard  of  any  such  device  in  his 
part  of  the  country.  There  is  no  question  that  he 
possessed  a  scrap-book,  and  that  it  became  an  impor- 
tant agent  in  making  him  a  scholar  and  statesman. 
He  copied  into  it  chiefly  from  the  books  he  borrowed, 
thinking  he  would  not  have  the  opportunity  to  see 
them  again.  Books  that  he  owned,  as  well  as  those 
belonging  to  his  parents,  he  marked,  that  he  might 
refer  to  striking  passages  at  his  leisure.  Also,  he 
frequently  wrote  brief  compositions  in  that  scrap- 
book,  improving  his  talent  for  the  art  thereby.  As  an 
invention,  at  that  time,  the  scrap-book  was  worthy  of 
his  genius,  and,  as  a  source  of  mental  improvement, 
its  value  was  never  over-estimated. 


% 


A  Flat-Boatman. 


UPWARD   AND   ONWARD.  147 

One  of  the  finest  and  most  touching  tributes  ever 
paid  to  his  memory  was  spoken  by  his  mother  to  Mr. 
Herndon,  and  we  quote  it  here  because  it  had  reference 
to  his  early  Hfe.      She  said  :  — 

"  Abe  was  a  poor  boy,  and  I  can  say  what  scarcely 
one  woman  —  a  mother  —  can  say,  in  a  thousand. 
Abe  never  gave  me  a  cross  word  or  look,  and  never 
refused,  in  fact  or  appearance,  to  do  any  thing  I  re- 
quested him.  I  never  gave  him  a  cross  word  in  all 
my  life.  .  .  .  His  mind  and  my  mind — what  little 
I  had — seemed  to  run  together.  .  .  .  He  was 
here  after  he  was  elected  President."  Here  she 
stopped,  unable  to  proceed  any  further,  and  after  her 
grateful  emotions  had  spent  themselves  in  tears,  she 
proceeded  :  "  He  was  dutiful  to  me  always.  I  think 
he  loved  me  truly.  I  had  a  son,  John,  who  was  raised 
with  Abe.  Both  were  good  boys ;  but  I  must  say, 
both  being  now  dead,  that  Abe  was  the  best  boy  I 
ever  saw,  or  ever  expect  to  see.  I  wish  I  had  died 
when  my  husband  died.  I  did  not  want  Abe  to  run 
for  President ;  did  not  want  him  elected  ;  was  afraid 
somehow,  —  felt  it  in  my  heart ;  and  when  he  came 
down  to  see  me,  after  he  was  elected  President,  I  felt 
that  something  would  befall  him,  and  that  I  should  see 
him  no  more." 

Mr.  Lamon  relates  that,  when  this  interview  closed, 
and  Mr.  Herndon  was  about  to  retire,  Mrs.  Lincoln 
took  one  of  his  hands  in  both  of  hers,  and  wringing 
it,  with  the  tears  streaming  down  her  cheeks,  as  if 
loath  to  separate  from  one  who  knew  her  "Abe"  so 
intimately,  said :  "  Good-by,  my  good  son's  friend. 
Farewell." 


148       riOAEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Abraham  tried  his  father  often  by  his  persistent 
efforts  to  gain  time  to  read  and  study,  and  by  his 
disposition  to  turn  night  into  day,  that  he  might  pore 
over  some  engrossing  book,  or  compose  a  "  poem  "  or 
**  chronicle "  upon  some  passing  event,  pleasant  or 
otherwise.  He  was  more  tried,  however,  by  Abraham's 
"preaching  about"  and  "making  "political  speeches" 
on  stumps,  than  anything ;  for  this  interfered  with 
business.  His  step-sister,  Matilda  Johnson,  says  he 
was  remarkable  for  preaching  and  speech-making.  On 
Monday  mornings,  after  he  had  listened  to  a  sermon, 
he  would  mount  a  stump,  and  deliver  the  sermon, 
which  his  memory  retained  with  wonderful  accuracy. 
In  the  field,  he  often  amused  his  working  companions 
with  a  speech  upon  some  subject  that  was  uppermost  ;• 
and,  when  he  began  to  orate,  there  was  an  end  of  labor. 
All  hands  gathered  about  him  in  admiration,  and 
cheered  him  on.  Thomas  Lincoln  thought  Abraham 
was  carrying  the  matter  too  far.  But  he  said  nothing, 
especially  authoritative,  until  the  community  was  vis- 
ited by  a  preacher  of  singular  eccentricities.  He 
bellowed  like  a  bull  of  Bashan  in  the  pulpit,  a  fearful 
nasal  twang  accompanying  his  cracked  voice ;  and  he 
pounded  the  desk  in  his  excitement,  as  if  determined 
to  reduce  it  to  kindling  wood.  His  performance  was 
fun  for  the  young  people ;  and  Abraham  was  especially 
amused.  His  gift  of  imitation  enabled  him  to  repro- 
duce the  sermon,  with  its  nasal  twang  and  other  oddi- 
ties, so  that  the  eccentricities  of  the  preacher  were 
reproduced  and  re-repeated,  over  and  over,  on  the 
stumps  of  the  field,  and  at  evening  gatherings.  When 
Abraham  began  to  preach  that  sermon,  in  cabin  or 


UPWARD  AND  ONWARD.  149 

field,  his  audience  could  attend  to  nothing  else  until 
the  discourse  was  finished.  The  exercise  of  laughing 
over  it  was  well-nigh  as  exhaustive  and  violent  as  that 
of  chopping.  Even  the  old  people,  who  thought  it  was 
not  quite  right  to  make  so  much  merriment  over  a 
sermon,  could  not  help  laughing  when  Abraham  be- 
came the  eccentric  pulpit  orator.  But  his  father  felt 
obliged  to  interfere  with  this  habit  of  public  speaking. 
It  became  too  much  of  an  interruption  to  necessary 
work. 

"  You  must  stop  it,  Abe.  I  won't  have  it.  You'll 
get  to  liking  fun  more  than  work  ;  guess  you  do  now. 
I've  put  up  with  it  long  enough,  —  shan't  any  longer. 
Don't  let  me  have  to  speak  to  you  about  it  again."  So 
Mr.  Lincoln  interrupted  Abraham's  practice  of  stump- 
speaking,  in  his  irritation  manifesting  considerable 
feeling  on  the  subject. 

Yet  there  is  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  proud 
of  the  ability  of  his  son,  and,  at  heart,  enjoyed  his  pre- 
cocity. In  his  ignorance,  he  might  have  feared  that 
his  habit  of  speech-making  would  make  him  lazy  or 
shiftless.  Whether  he  did  or  not,  Abraham  evidently 
laid  the  foundation  of  his  future  greatness  as  an  orator 
and  debater  in  those  remarkable  days  of  his  youth. 
A  better  practice  to  discipline  him  for  public  service 
could  not  have  engaged  his  attention.  The  pioneer 
boy  was  unconsciously  schooling  himself  for  the  highest 
position  in  the  land. 

Abraham  worked  often  for  William  Wood,  who  lived 
one  mile  and  a  half  away.  Mr.  Lincoln  worked  there, 
also,  as  a  carpenter,  whenever  labor  in  his  line  was 
demanded.     Abraham  loved  to  work  for  Mr.  Wood,  for 


150       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  took  two  papers,  which  the  boy  could  read  through 
and  through.  One  of  them  was  a  temperance  paper, 
and  its  contents  interested  him  more  even  than  the 
poHtical  paper. 

"I  did  not  know  that  a  paper  hke  this  was  ever 
printed,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Wood,  who  was  one  of  the 
most  intelHgent  and  well  posted  men  of  Spencer 
County.     "It's  true,  every  word  of  it." 

"Of  course  it  is,"  replied  Mr.  Wood.  "Rum  is 
well  enough  in  its  place,  but  there's  no  reason  in  men 
making  such  beasts  of  themselves  as  many  do  about 
here." 

"  I  shouldn't  care  if  the  whole  of  it  was  at  the  bottom 
of  the  Ohio  River,  where  most  of  my  father's  whiskey 
went,"  continued  Abraham.  "  It  does  a  great  sight 
more  evil  than  good  any  day." 

"  Good !  It  would  puzzle  most  any  one  to  tell  what 
good  whiskey  does,"  responded  Mr.  Wood.  "The  evil 
it  does  is  known  to  everybody ;  we  can  see  that  every- 
where. It  adds  very  much  to  the  hardships  of  life  in 
this  part  of  the  country." 

Abraham  became  so  enthusiastic  over  the  tem- 
perance paper  and  the  cause  which  it  represented, 
that  he  wrote  a  long  composition  on  the  subject  of 
"Temperance,"  and  submitted  it  to  Mr.  Wood's  ex- 
amination. 

"Did  you  write  all  this  yourself,  Abe.?"  remarked 
Mr.  Wood,  before  reading  it,  but  noticing  its  length. 

"  Every  word  of  it ;  and  I  want  you  to  read  it  over, 
and  tell  me  what  you  think  about  it." 

"  I  will  read  it  to-night  without  fail,"  and  Mr.  Wood 
did  read  it.     His  opinion  of  it  is  learned  from  the  fact. 


UPWARD  AND  ONWARD.  151 

that  he  remarked  to  a  Baptist  minister  who  called  at 
his  house :  — 

"  I  have  here  a  composition  on  Temperance,  written 
by  Abe  Lincoln,  and  I  think  it  is  a  wonderful  produc- 
tion for  such  a  boy  to  write.  I  want  you  should  read 
it,  and  see  if  you  do  not  agree  with  me." 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  read  it,  here  and  now,"  replied 
the  minister.  "  I'm  glad  that  Abe  is  writing  on  that 
subject."  And  he  applied  himself  to  reading  the  com- 
position at  once. 

**  I  agree  with  you  entirely,"  said  the  minister,  com- 
pleting the  reading;"  it  is  a  remarkable  production 
for  such  a  boy." 

*'  I  would  like  to  see  it  printed  in  this  temperance 
paper,"  continued  Mr.  Wood,  holding  the  paper  up. 

*'It  is  worthy  of  a  place  in  it,"  added  the  minister. 

"They  publish  articles  that  are  not  half  as  good," 
responded  Mr.  Wood,  ''  You  can  get  this  composition 
to  the  editor ;  it  is  right  in  your  way." 

"Yes,  I  can  take  it  there,  and  should  be  glad  to 
do  it." 

"Well,  you  take  it,  and  I'll  make  it  right  with  Abe." 

"  He  won't  have  any  objection,  if  he  is  like  most 
boys,"  remarked  the  minister.  "  He'll  be  a  little  proud 
to  appear  in  print." 

The  minister  took  the  article  along  with  him,  and, 
subsequently,  it  appeared  in  the  columns  of  the  paper. 
Mr.  Wood  read  it  over  again  in  print,  and  remarked : 
"It  excels  anything  there  is  in  the  paper."  Abra- 
ham was  both  gratified  and  encouraged  by  the  publi- 
cation of  his  article.  The  paper  was  lent  to  the 
families  in   the  neighborhood,  after  they  heard  that 


152       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


Abraham  was  a  writer  for  its  columns,  and  the  univer- 
sal verdict  was,  "a  remarkable  composition  for  a  boy." 

"Can't  you  write  on  politics,  Abe ? "  said  Mr.  Wood 
to  him,  one  day. 

"Yes,  sir;  I  have  written  some  pieces  on  that 
subject." 

"Well,  I  mean  an  article  to  be  printed  in  some 
political  paper." 

"  I  can  try,"  continued  Abraham,  elated  with  the 
idea  of  writing  for  a  political  paper.  "What  shall  I 
write  about.'*" 

Mr.  Wood  made  some  suggestions  about  the  subject ; 
and,  in  the  course  of  a  week,  Abraham  brought  him 
the  article.  Mr.  Wood  remembers  enough  of  it  to 
furnish  the  drift  of  the  coniposition :  — 

"  That  the  American  Government  is  the  best  form  of 
government  for  an  intelligent  people ;  that  it  ought  to 
be  sound,  and  preserved  forever ;  that  general  educa- 
tion should  be  fostered  and  carried  all  over  the  country  ; 
that  the  Constitution  should  be  saved,  the  Union  per- 
petuated, and  the  laws  revered,  respected,  and  en- 
forced." 

Mr.  Wood  was  even  more  gratified  and  surprised  on 
reading  this  article  than  he  was  on  reading  the  other. 
We  think  that  the  composition  is  more  remarkable  now 
than  it  was  then,  on  account  of  subsequent  events. 
For  it  surely  contained  the  gist  of  Abraham  Lincoln's 
inaugural  address  when  he  became  President.  On  that 
occasion  he  said  :  — 

"  I  hold,  that,  in  the  contemplation  of  universal  law 
and  of  the  Constitution,  the  union  of  these  States  is 
perpetual.     Perpetuity  is  implied,  if  not  expressed,  in 


UPWARD  AND   OA'IVARD.  153 


the  fundamental  law  of  all  national  governments. 
Continue  to  execute  all  the  express  provisions  of  our 
national  Constitution,  and  the  Union  will  endure  for- 
"  ever.  ...  I  consider  that  in  view  of  the  Constitution 
and  the  laws,  the  Union  is  unbroken  ;  and  to  the  extent 
of  my  ability,  I  shall  take  care,  as  the  Constitution 
itself  expressly  enjoins  upon  me,  that  the  laws  of  the 
Union  shall  be  faithfully  executed." 

How  wonderful  that  the  pioneer  boy  who  wrote  the 
aforesaid  article  for  a  political  paper  should  become 
President  of  the  United  States  thirty-three  years  there- 
after, and  reiterate  in  his  inaugural  address  the  same 
sentiments,  when  the  enemies  of  the  country  were  seek- 
ing to  overthrow  the  Constitution,  abrogate  its  laws, 
and  sever  the  Union  !     Truly 

"  There's  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough-hew  them  how  we  will." 

.  A  lawyer,  by  the  name  of  Pritchard,  was  passing  by 
Mr.  Wood's  house,  when  the  political  article  in  question 
was  in  his  hands.     Mr.  Wood  called  him  in,  remarking-, 

"  I  want  you  should  read  an  article  I  have  here,  and 
see  what  you  think  of  it."  He  did  not  disclose  who 
was  the  author  of  it. 

**  Your  own  .?"  inquired  Pritchard. 

''That's  no  matter  ;  read  it." 

"  I  will,  if  that  is  your  wish  ;  "  and  Pritchard  sat  down 
to  its  perusal.  As  he  read  the  last  sentence,  he  re- 
marked, in  a  very  enthusiastic  way,  — 

''  It  can't  be  beat.     Is  it  yours  .?  " 

"No;  it  is  not  mine.  Tom  Lincoln's  son,  Abe, 
wrote  it,  and  I  think  it  is  wonderful' for  a  boy." 


154       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

''More  than  that,"  added  Pritchard,  still  more  in- 
terested when  he  learned  that  a  boy  wrote  it.  "  Let 
me  have  it  to  publish  in  our  paper,"  meaning  the  paper 
of  his  section. 

"  That's  what  it  was  written  for,  — to  be  published  in 
some  political  paper,"  answered  Mr.  Wood.  ''An 
article  of  Abe's  was  published  in  my  temperance  paper 
not  long  ago,  and  it  was  the  best  thing  it  had.  Abe  is 
a  great  temperance  boy." 

The  last  remark  makes  it  necessary  to  interject  a 
paragraph  here.  We  have  undoubted  testimony  that 
Abraham  was  the  only  person  in  that  region,  at 
that  time,  who  refused  on  all  occasions  to  partake  of 
intoxicating  liquors.  His  opposition  to  the  practice 
was  so  well  known,  that,  at  house-raisings,  log-rollings, 
huskings,  and  parties,  it  was  not  expected  that  he  would 
touch  anything  which  would  intoxicate.  It  was  his 
decided  stand  against  intoxicants  that  caused  his  mother 
to  say,  "  I  think  Abe  carries  his  temperance  notions  to 
extremes." 

It  was  arranged  that  Pritchard  should  take  the  article 
to  the  editor  of  a  political  paper  for  publication  ;  and, 
in  due  time,  it  appeared,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of 
Mr.  Wood,  the  joy  of  Abraham,  and  the  pride  of  the 
neighborhood.  Abraham  wrote  other  articles  which  he 
submitted  to  the  examination  of  Mr.  Wood ;  and  the 
exercise  of  writing  composition  became  to  him  an 
excellent  discipline,  and  did  much  to  help  him  upward 
and  onward. 

A  Mr.  Richardson,  who  lived  in  the  vicinity  at  that 
time,  says : 

"Abe  was  the  best  penman  in  the  neighborhood. 


UPWARD  AND   ONWARD.  1 55 

One  day,  while  he  was  on  a  visit  to  my  mother's,  I  asked 
him  to  write  some  original  copies  for  me.  He  very 
willingly  consented.  He  wrote  several  of  them,  but  one 
of  them  I  have  never  forgotten,  although  a  boy  at  the 
time.     It  was  this  : — 

'  Good  boys,  who  to  their  books  apply, 
Will  all  be  great  men  by  and  by.' " 

Abraham  came  into  the  possession  of  a  copy-book 
(not  the  scrap-book  spoken  of)  in  which  he  wrote  orig- 
inal copies.     Here  is  one  :  — 

"  Abraham  Lincoln,  his  hand  and  pen  ; 
He  will  be  good,  but  God  knows  when." 

In  the  same  book  he  wrote  the  following : — 

"  Time  !  what  an  empty  vapor  'tis  ! 

And  days,  how  swift  they  are  ! 
Swift  as  an  Indian  arrow, 

Fly  on  like  a  shooting-star, 
The  present  moment  just  is  here, 

Then  slides  away  in  haste. 
That  we  can  never  say  they're  ours. 

But  only  say  they're  past." 

Many  such  "pieces,"  in  poetry  and  prose,  he  wrote, 
exhibiting  thought,  genius,  noble  aspirations,  and 
marked  talents. 

We  have  intimated  that  Abraham's  love  of  books 
prevented  his  becoming  a  hunter.  He  could  not  spare 
the  time.  If  he  were  not  at  work,  he  had  a  book  in 
his  hand.  Other  boys  became  hunters.  It  was  neces- 
sary for  them  to  be  in  order  to  procure  food  and  a 
livelihood.     Dennis  Hanks  says,  "■  When  we  had  spare 


156       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

time  we  picked  up  the  rifle,  and  brought  in  a  fine  deer 
or  turkey  ;  and  in  the  winter-time  we  went  coon-hunt- 
ing, for  coon-skins  were  considered  legal  tender,  and 
deerskins  and  hams."  The  woods  were  full  of  rabbits, 
partridges,  squirrels,  and  other  game,  but  these  were 
not  shot  much  for  food.  Deer  and  turkeys  were  more 
desirable  for  the  larder.  The  smaller  game  mentioned 
was  so  plenty,  that  the  settlers  resorted  to  various 
devices  to  destroy  them.  They  devastated  gardens  and 
grain-fields,  and  the  pioneers  made  war  upon  them  as  a 
nuisance. 

Bears,  wild-cats,  and  panthers,  also,  were  quite  numer- 
ous, and  these  were  shot  in  self-defence.  The  scream 
of  the  latter  often  filled  the  forest  with  terror  at  night, 
in  Abraham's  early  life.  Yet,  our  hero  never  did  much 
at  hunting.  A  book,  instead  of  a  gun,  captivated  his 
heart,  and  he  read  and  studied  when  other  boys  hunted 
and  had  rare  sport.  We  do  not  mean  that  he  never 
engaged  in  this  pastime  ;  for  he  did  occasionally  accom- 
pany companions  upon  hunting  excursions.  But,  com- 
pared with  the  average  boy  of  the  county,  he  was  not  a 
hunter. 

Abraham  enjoyed  certain  "plays"  and  games  more 
than  he  did  hunting.  His  social  qualities  and  genuine 
humor  fitted  him  for  this  sphere  more  than  for  the 
other.  These  "  plays,"  without  Abraham,  were  the 
play  of  Hamlet  with  Hamlet  left  out.  He  made  things 
lively  by  his  wit  and  geniality.  Exactly  what  the 
**  plays"  were,  we  cannot  affirm  :  we  can  only  give  their 
names  as  furnished  by  Dennis  Hanks.  "  Throwing  the 
mall,"  **cat,"  **  four-corner  bull-pen,"  ''hopping  and 
half-hammon,"  and  "  Sister  Feby,"  an  evening  game. 


UPWARD  AND   ONWARD.  1 57 

Whatever  these  ** plays  "  were,  Abraham  was  "a  bright 
particular  star"  in  them,  whenever  and  wherever  his 
presence  could  be  secured. 

From  the  time  Abraham  was  eighteen  years  of  age, 
his  physical  strength  was  remarkable.  Some  of  the 
stories  about  his  strength,  told  by  the  neighbors,  are 
almost  incredible.  He  was  not  only  a  giant  in  stature, 
but  a  giant  in  strength.  Observers  looked  on  amazed 
at  the  exhibition.  Richardson,  a  neighbor,  declares 
that  he  could  carry  a  load  to  which  the  strength  of 
three  ordinary  men  would  scarcely  be  equal.  He 
saw  him  quietly  pick  up  and  walk  away  with  **  a  chicken- 
house,  made  of  poles  pinned  togethei^  and  covered,  that 
weighed  at  least  six  hundred,  if  not  much  more."  At 
another  time,  the  Richardsons  were  building  a  corn- 
crib;  Abe  was  there;  and,  seeing  three  or  four  men 
preparing  "sticks"  upon  which  to  carry  some  huge 
posts,  he  relieved  them  of  all  further  trouble  by  shoulder- 
ing the  posts,  single-handed,  and  walking  away  with 
them  to  the  place  where  they  were  wanted.  "  He  could 
strike  with  a  rnall,"  says  old  Mr.  Wood,  "a  heavier 
blow  than  any  man.  .  .  .  He  could  sink  an  axe  deeper 
into  the  wood  than  any  man  I  ever  saw."*  Wrestling 
was  a  common  and  popular  sport  among  pioneers,  and 
here  Abraham  excelled  all  his  companions.  The  sequel 
will  show  how  his  remarkable  physical  strength  aided 
him  in  the  labors,  burdens,  trials,  and  responsibilities 
of  his  public  life. 

♦  Lamon's  Life  of  Lincoln,  p.  52. 


CHAPTER    XII. 
ON  THE   FLAT-BOAT. 

N  the  first  of  March,  1828,  Abraham  went 
to  work  for  old  Mr.  Gentry,  the  proprietor 
of  Gentfyville.  Here,  again,  he  was  a  "man- 
of-all-work,"  doing  whatsoever  his  employer 
found  for  him  to  do.  Mr.  Gentry  had  a  son  by  the 
name  of  Allen,  with  whom  Abraham  worked.  He  was 
a  little  older  than  Abraham,  and  a  suitable  companion 
for  him. 

**How  would  you  like  to  run  a  flat-boat  to  New 
Orleans,  Abe.^"  said  Mr.  Gentry  to  him,  early  in  April. 
"I  believe  you  are  used  to  boating." 

•*  I  know  something  about  it,"  Abraham  replied.     "  I 
should  like  to  go  to  New  Orleans.     How  far  is  it.?" 
''About  eighteen  hundred  miles.     I'm  thinking  of 

letting  Allen   take  a  trip  there  if  you  will  go  with 

h>> 
im. 

"How  soon."*" 

•*  Just  as  soon  as  you  can  get  ready.  I  have  a  load 
of  bacon  and  other  produce  on  hand  now.  It's  some 
work  to  get  ready." 

"  Well,  I'll  be  ready  any  time  you  say,  if  father  don't 
object,  and  I  don't  think  he  will,"  added  Abraham. 


ON   THE  FLAT-BOAT.  1 59 

"  He  won't  care  if  I  pay  you  well  for  it,"  responded 
Mr.  Gentry.  *'  I  shall  give  you  eight  dollars  a  month, 
and  pay  your  passage  home  on  a  steamer.  You  and 
Allen  together  can  manage  such  a  trip  well." 

Abraham's  service  of  four  or  five  weeks  had  satis- 
fied Mr.  Gentry  that  he  was  just  the  hand  to  send 
on  a  trading  expedition  to  New  Orleans.  His  tact, 
strength  and  fidelity  were  three  essential  requisites  to 
ensure  a  successful  expedition.  Flat-boating  on  the 
Western  waters,  at  that  time,  was  an  exciting  and 
perilous  business ;  and  some  account  of  it  here  will 
reflect  light  upon  Abraham's  venture. 

For  some  years  there  had  been  a  class  of  boat- 
men, fearless,  hardy,  athletic  men,  who  "  traversed 
the  longest  rivers,  penetrated  the  most  remote  wil- 
derness upon  their  watery  routes,  and  kept  up  a 
trade  and  intercourse  between  the  most  distant 
points." 

They  were  exposed  to  great  perils,  and  were  out 
shelterless  in  all  kinds  of  weather.  With  no  bed  but 
the  deck  of  their  boats  on  which  to  lie  at  night,  and  no 
covering  but  a  blanket,  they  spent  months  and  years 
of  their  existence. 

It  was  on  such  boats  that  the  rich  cargoes  ascend- 
ing the  Mississippi  were  carried.  By  human  labor 
they  were  propelled  against  the  strong  current  for 
nearly  two  thousand  miles  ;  and  it  was  a  labor  that 
required  great  muscular  strength  and  remarkable 
powers  of  endurance.  The  result  was  that  a  class  of 
men  were  trained  in  this  business,  of  unusual  courage, 
and  proud  only  of  their  ability  to  breast  storms  and 
endure  hardships. 


l6o       PIOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 


In  addition  to  this  class,  whose  life-business  it  was 
to  propel  these  Western  boats,  there  were  those  who 
occasionally  made  a  trip  to  New  Orleans  to  sell  their 
stores.  Sometimes  several  farmers,  or  other  persons, 
would  club  together  and  make  out  a  cargo,  and  send  it 
down  to  New  Orleans  ;  and  sometimes  one  alone 
would  do  the  same.  This  was  the  case  with  Mr.  Gen- 
try. He  had  a  quantity  of  stores  suited  to  meet  the 
wants  of  the  sugar  plantations  in  Louisiana,  and  he 
wanted  to  convert  them  into  cash.  Money  was  very 
scarce,  and  many  families,  like  that  of  Mr.  Lincoln, 
saw  but  little.  What  was  in  circulation  was  brought 
into  the  Western  country  by  people  moving  thither 
from  the  East,  or  was  obtained,  as  Mr.  Gentry  pro- 
posed to  obtain  some,  by  sending  a  boat -load  of  stores 
to  New  Orleans. 

Abraham  consulted  his  father,  who  readily  consented. 
His  mother  remarked  : — 

"  Eighteen  hundred  miles  is  rather  of  a  long  trip 
for  a  fellow  who  hasn't  seen  more  of  the  world  than 
you  have,  Abe." 

*'  None  too  long,  mother.  I  shall  see  some  of  the 
world  now  if  I  never  have  before." 

"  And  perhaps  see  the  bottom  of  the  Mississippi," 
suggested  his  mother. 

"I'm  not  afraid  of  that." 

"  But  many  have  lost  their  lives  in  this  way,  and 
men  who  have  been  used  to  the  business,  too." 

"That's  no  sign  I  shall." 

*'  It's  no  sign  you  won't." 

"But  I  shan't  borrow  any  trouble  about  it." 

"  I  don't  ask  you  to  do  that  ;  but  it's  worth  while  to 
think  of  these  things." 


ON  THE  FLAT-BOAT.  l6l 

"  If  you  don't  wan't  I  should  go,  I  will  give  it  up 
now."  Abraham  inferred  from  his  mother's  manner 
of  speaking,  that  she  was  unwilling  he  should  go. 

"  I  do  want  you  should  go.  I  was  only  telHng  some 
of  my  thoughts.     I  can't  help  thinking." 

"  It  may  be  the  best  thing  for  me  that  I  ever  did," 
suggested  Abraham. 

*'  Yes,  if  no  accident  happens  to  you,  I  have  no 
doubt  it  will  be  a  real  good  school  for  you.  But  it's  a 
long  ways  to  go,  and  a  long  time  for  you  to  be  gone." 

"  But  I  have  got  to  go  away  some  time,  and  I  may 
as  well  begin  now." 

''  Very  true ;  but  that  makes  it  no  easier  for  me  to 
have  you  go.  But  it  don't  do  any  good  to  talk  about 
it  now." 

Preparations  were  made  at  once  for  the  voyage. 
A  boat  was  provided  at  Gentry's  Landing,  which  was 
at  Rockport,  on  the  Ohio  River,  and  Abraham  and 
Allen  proceeded  to  load  the  cargo.  Here  Abraham 
met  with  his  old  schoolmate.  Miss  Roby,  whom  he 
assisted,  at  Crawford's  school,  to  spell  defied  correctly. 
She  had  grown  into  a  winsome  girl ;  at  least  Allen 
Gentry  thought  so  ;  for  he  afterwards  courted  and 
married  her.  At  the  close  of  one  day  an  incident 
occurred  that  shows  how  Abraham  was  wont  to  pick 
up  knowledge.  He  was  sitting  with  Miss  Roby  on  the 
boat,  when  she  remarked  :  — 

"The  sun  is  going  down." 

"  No  ;  it  isn't,"  Abraham  replied  naively. 

"  You've  lost  your  sight,  then,"  suggested  the  girl, 
at  the  same  time  anticipating  that  Abraham  was  in- 
dulging in  some  roguery. 


r62       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  can  see  as  well  as  you  can,"  responded  Abraham, 
"and  I  say,  honestly,  the  sun  is  not  going  down,  and 
what  is  more,  it  never  will  go  down^ 

"  Wait  and  see,"  continued  Miss  Roby,  laughing. 

"  It  will  seem  to  go  down,"  added  Abraham,  in  an 
explanatory  way. 

"  I  rather  think  it  will,"  Miss  Roby  answered 
curtly. 

''  We  go  down,  not  the  sun,"  Abraham  continued. 
"The  sun  stands  still." 

"  It  moves  enough  for  me,"  interrupted  Miss  Roby. 

Abraham  went  on  to  explain  :  — 

"  You  see  the  earth  turns  from  west  to  east,  and  the 
revolution  of  the  earth  carries  us  under,  as  it  were ; 
we  do  the  sinking,  as  you  call  it.  The  sun  does  not 
really  set ;  it  only  appears  to." 

"  Abe  !  what  a  fool  you  are  !  "  exclaimed  the  sur- 
prised girl,  who  began  to  think  that  too  much  learning 
had  made  her  friend  mad. 

Forty  years  afterwards.  Miss  Roby,  who  became 
Mrs.  Gentry,  said  :  — 

"  Now  I  know  that  I  was  the  fool,  not  Lincoln.  I 
am  now  thoroughly  satisfied  that  Abe  knew  the  gen- 
eral laws  of  astronomy  and  the  movements  of  the 
heavenly  bodies.  He  was  better  read  then  than  the 
world  knows,  or  is  likely  to  know  exactly.  No  man 
could  talk  to  me  that  night  as  he  did  unless  he  had 
known  something  of  geography  as  well  as  astronomy. 
He  often  and  often  commented  or  talked  to  me  about 
what  he  had  read,  —  seemed  to  read  it  out  of  the  book 
as  he  went  along,  —  did  so  to  others.  He  was  the 
learned  boy  among  us  unlearned  folks.     He  took  great 


ON  THE  FLAT-BOAT.  1 63 

pains  to  explain,  and  could  do  it  "so  simply.  He  was 
diffident  then,  too." 

To  return  to  the  trip  to  New  Orleans.  As  soon 
as  the  cargo  was  loaded,  the  two  boys  started  upon 
their  voyage,  Abraham  serving  as  **  bow-hand,  to  work 
the  front  oars."  It  was  a  very  important  event  in  the 
life  of  our  young  friend,  and  his  heart  was  greatly 
elated.  He  was  floating  out  into  the  broad  world  now. 
His  young  eyes  would  behold  its  sights  and  scenes  for 
the  first  time.  It  is  not  strange  that  he  pushed  out 
into  the  Ohio  with  a  glad  heart,  and  moved  down  to- 
wards the  '*  father  of  waters  "  with  such  anticipation 
as  never  fired  his  breast  before. 

"  I  say,  Abe,  how  many  times  are  you  going  to  upset 
before  reaching  the  Mississippi  .'* "  asked  Allen. 

"  I  hardly  think  we  shall  do  it  more  than  once," 
answered  Abraham,  **  unless  you  have  a  better  faculty 
than  I  have  for  loading  up  again  in  the  water." 

"  I  didn't  think  of  that  ;  it  would  be  a  hard  matter 
to  reload  at  the  bottom  of  the  river." 

"  Yes  ;  and  we  must  look  out  for  accidents,  or  your 
father  will  wish  he  had  never  sent  us.  I  hope  we 
shall  make  a  capital  thing  of  it." 

"  I  hope  so  too,  or  we  shall  never  have  another  such 
a  chance.  The  old  man  never  would  have  sent  me 
if  it  had  n't  been  for  you,  Abe." 

"  How  so  }  " 

*'  Because  he  thinks  you  can  do  most  anything 
that's  possible,  and  so  he  was  willing  to  risk  me  and 
all  the  cargo  with  you." 

**  Pshaw  !     You  are  fooling  now." 

"  No  such  thing  ;  it's  the  living  truth.     I  expect  he 


1 64       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

thought  that  you  could  keep  me  and  the  cargo  from 
sinking  if  we  did  upset." 

"  Well,  my  mother  rather  expects  the  opposite,  I 
judge  by  her  talk,"  replied  Abraham.  "  She  thinks  it  is 
rather  of  a  risky  piece  of  business  to  send  us  on  such 
a  trip. 

*' I  'spose  'tis,"  was  Allen's  thoughtful  reply;  "and 
it  stands  us  in  hand  to  do  the  very  best  we  can." 

It  must  suffice  to  say  that  their  trip  proved  to  be  a 
pleasant  one.  Many  incidents  occurred  which  we 
cannot  relate  here,  nor  is  it  necessary  for  our  purpose. 
They  lived  upon  the  flat-boat,  of  course.  At  night 
they  drew  it  up  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  in  some 
favorable  spot,  and  tied  it  safely ;  then  laid  down  on 
their  "running  board,"  as  a  flat-boat  was  sometimes 
called,  to  sleep.  They  had  no  bed  and  nothing  but 
a  blanket  to  cover  them.  True,  this  was  not  so  great 
a  change  for  boys  who  were  reared  in  the  wilderness, 
as  it  would  be  for  boys  of  this  day  who  are  used  to  the 
comforts  and  conveniences  of  affluent  homes.  Still  it 
was  a  change,  and  many  of  their  nights  were  extremely 
lonely. 

Their  voyage  was  not  monotonous.  The  scenery 
was  continually  changing,  and  they  frequently  passed 
other  boats  with  their  merry  crews,  and  held  conver- 
sations with  people  who  flocked  to  the  banks  of  the 
river  from  adjacent  villages.  "  Where  are  you  from  } " 
"Where  are  you  bound  .^ "  "What  are  you  loaded 
with.^"  were  questions  that  they  frequently  had  to 
answer. 

The  days  were  not  all  sunshine.  Heavy  storms 
sometimes  descended   upon   them,  and   they  had  to 


ON  THE  FLAT-BOAT.  1 65 

exert  themselves  to  the  utmost  to  keep  their  little 
craft  right  side  up.  Day  after  day  they  were  drenched 
with  rain,  and  still  they  must  keep  on  the  voyage. 
Violent  storms  sometimes  raged  at  night,  the  wind 
blowing  almost  a  hurricane,  and  the  rain  pouring  down 
in  torrents,  and  still  there  was  no  alternative,  —  they 
must  make  their  bed  on  their  little  boat  and  take  the 
pelting  of  the  storm.  Those  were  times  that  tried 
their  spirit,  and  yet  they  had  no  complaints  to  utter. 
Never  for  a  moment  did  Abraham  wish  he  had  not 
undertaken  the  voyage.  The  object  of  his  expedition 
had  taken  complete  possession  of  his  soul. 

At  Madame  Bushane's  plantation,  six  miles  below 
Baton  Rouge,  they  had  an  adventure  that  is  worthy  of 
rehearsal  here.  The  boat  was  tied  up,  and  the  boys 
were  fast  asleep  in  the  stern  when  footsteps  on  board 
awoke  them.  After  listening  a  moment,  Abraham 
whispered : 

**  Foul  play,  Allen !  A  gang  of  niggers  come  to 
rob  us ! " 

Thinking  to  frighten  them  away,  Allen  shouted, 
"Bring  the  guns,  Abe,  shoot  'em." 

But  the  negroes  did  not  flee,  and  the  silence  was  as 
oppressive  as  the  darkness. 

"Trouble  for  us,"  said  Abraham  in  a  low  tone, 
as  he  sprung  to  his  feet  and  put  his  hand  upon  a 
billet  of  wood.  "  We  must  fight  for  our  lives. 
Come." 

Waiting  and  listening  again  for  a  moment,  and  hear- 
ing nothing,  Abraham  cried  out  : 

"  Who's  there  ?  "     No  response. 

"  Whds  there  ?  "  he  called  with  more  emphasis. 


1 66       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  voices  of  several  negroes,  in  threatening  tones, 
responded. 

*'  What  are  you  here  for,  you  rascals  ? "  thundered 
Abraham.  "  Be  off  with  yourselves,  or  we'll  throw  you 
into  the  river."  And  he  dashed  after  them  in  the 
darkness,  followed  by  Allen.  The  negroes  stood  their 
ground,  armed  with  cudgels,  and  a  fearful  battle  began 
at  once. 

"  Kill  them !  "  shouted  Abraham  to  Allen.  "  They 
mean  to  kill  us.  Knock  the  scoundrels  into  the 
water." 

And  the  clubs  flew,  and  heavy  blows  were  dealt 
back  and  forth,  until  the  contest  became  so  close  and 
hot  that  clubs  were  useless,  and  a  hand-to-hand  fight 
was  inevitable.  For  ten  minutes  or  more  the  conflict 
raged,  spattering  the  deck  with  blood,  and  threatening 
the  saddest  results.  At  length,  however,  Abraham 
threw  one  of  the  number  into  the  river,  when  the 
others  leaped  from  the  boat  upon  the  shore. 

"  Let's  after  them  !  "  shouted  Abraham,  so  thoroughly 
aroused  and  excited  as  to  banish  all  fear.  **  Show  them 
no  quarter." 

And  the  boys  pursued  them  with  their  clubs  for  half 
a  mile,  yelling  at  such  a  rate  that  the  negroes  thought, 
no  doubt,  that  a  half  score  of  boatmen  were  after  them. 
They  were  Madame  Bushane's  slaves,  seeking  plunder 
on  the  boat,  and  they  were  thoroughly  terrified.  They 
had  not  counted  upon  such  a  belligerent  reception. 
Abraham  and  Allen  saw  at  once  that  it  was  a  case  of 
life  and  death,  and  therefore  they  fought  with  despera- 
tion. The  negroes  left  some  of  their  best  blood  on 
deck,  and  it  was  mingled  with  that  of  our  two  young 


ON  THE  FLAT-BOAT,  1 6/ 

boatmen.  For  they  received  blows  well  nigh  as  hard 
as  those  they  gave,  and  their  blood  told  of  their 
wounds.  Abraham  received  a  blow  over  his  right  eye, 
the  scar  of  which  he  carried  through  life. 

"  We  must  get  the  boat  off  now  as  quick  as  pos- 
sible," said  Allen,  as  they  returned  from  the  pursuit. 
"  The  scamps  may  come  back  with  twice  the  num- 
ber." 

"  I  was  just  thinking  of  that,"  replied  Abraham, 
"  Jum.p  aboard,  and  I  will  untie  the  boat.  We  must 
lose  no  time." 

In  a  minute  Allen  was  aboard,  and  scarcely  another 
minute  had  passed  before  Abraham  followed  him,  hav- 
ing loosed  the  boat. 

"  We  are  safe  now,  if  the  whole  plantation  comes,*' 
said  Allen,  as  they  shoved  off  into  the  stream. 

*'  We  sha'n't  need  to  go  far,"  added  Abraham.  ''  Only 
change  our  position,  and  we  are  safe." 

"  That  may  be,  but  I  think  I  shall  sleep  with  my 
eyes  open  the  rest  of  the  night." 

*'  And  I  will  keep  you  company,"  responded  Abra- 
ham. '*  The  next  time  I  com'e  to  New  Orleans,  I  shall 
come  armed.  This  going  to  war  without  a  gun  is  not 
quite  the  thing." 

**  I  wish  we  had  been  armed,"  said  Allen.  "  Would  n't 
we  have  made  the  feathers  fly  .-^ " 

**The  woolj  you  mean,"  replied  Abraham,  jocosely. 
He  had  become  as  cool  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

"They  meant  to  kill  us." 

*'  Of  course  they  did.  It  would  n't  have  done  for 
them  to  rob  us,  and  leave  us  to  tell  the  story  to  their 
master.     But  they  might  have  made  way  with  us,  and 


l68       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

robbed  and  sunk  the  boat,  and  nobody  been  any  the 
wiser  for  it." 

"They  are  no  fools,  if  they  be  niggers." 

"  No  ;  but  after  all  they  are  not  so  much  to  blame," 
added  Abraham.  **  Slavery  has  robbed  them  of  every- 
thing, and  so  I  s'pose  they  think  it  is  fair  play  to  take 
what  they  can  get." 

We  shall  only  add  that  the  voyage  was  continued  to 
New  Orleans,  and  the  cargo  of  bacon  and  other  produce 
disposed  of  to  advantage.  The  boys  returned  to  In- 
diana on  the  deck  of  a  steamer,  according  to  Mr. 
Gentry's  arrangement  before  they  started. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  Abraham,  who  fought 
the  slaves  to  save  his  life,  should  become  their  emanci- 
pator, as  we  shall  discover,  thirty-five  years  thereafter ! 


CHAPTER    XIII. 
SUNDRY   INCIDENTS. 

|HERE  is  very  satisfactory  evidence  that 
Abraham  went  on  a  trading  trip  for  his 
father  before  he  served  Mr.  Gentry,  and 
that  he  built  a  boat  himself  for  the  expedi- 
tion. For  Mr.  Carpenter,  the  painter,  in  his  **  Six 
Months  in  the  White  House,"  has  the  following  from 
Mr.  Lincoln's  lips,  related  to  show  how  he  came 
into  possession  of  the  first  dollar  he  could  call  his 
own :  — 

In  the  Executive  Chamber,  one  evening,  there 
were  present  a  number  of  gentlemen,  among  them 
Mr.  Seward. 

A  point  in  the  conversation  suggesting  the  thought, 
the  President  said :  "  Seward,  you  never  heard,  did 
you,  how  I  earned  my  first  dollar.-^"  *'No,"  rejoined 
Mr.  Seward.  "Well,"  continued  Mr.  Lincoln,  ''  I  was 
about  eighteen  years  of  age.  I  belonged,  you  know, 
to  what  they  call  down  South,  the  *  scrubs ; '  people 
who  do  not  own  slaves  are  nobody  there.  But  we 
had  succeeded  in  raising,  chiefly  by  my  labor,  suffi- 
cient produce,  as  I  thought,  to  justify  me  in  taking  it 
down  the  river  to  sell. 


I70       PIOiXEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

''After  much  persuasion,  I  got  the  consent  of 
mother  to  go,  and  constructed  a  little  flat-boat,  large 
enough  to  take  a  barrel  or  two  of  things  that  we  had 
gathered,  with  myself  and  little  bundle,  down  to  New 
Orleans.  A  steamer  was  coming  down  the  river.  We 
have,  you  know,  no  wharves  on  the  Western  streams ; 
and  the  custom  was,  if  passengers  were  at  any  of  the 
landings,  for  them  to  go  out  in  a  boat,  the  steamer 
stopping  and  taking  them  on  board. 

''  I  was  contemplating  my  new  flat-boat,  and  won- 
dering whether  I  could  make  it  stronger  or  improve  it 
in  any  particular,  when  two  men  came  down  to  the 
shore  in  carriages,  with  trunks,  and  looking  at  the  dif- 
ferent boats,  singled  out  mine,  and  asked,  '  Who  owns 
this  t '  I  answered,  somewhat  modestly,  *  I  do.'  '  Will 
you,'  said  one  of  them,  '  take  us  and  our  trunks  out  to 
the  steamer.'  'Certainly,'  said  I.  I  was  very  glad  to 
have  the  chance  of  earning  something.  I  supposed 
that  each  of  them  would  give  me  two  or  three  bits. 
The  trunks  were  put  on  my  flat-boat,  the  passengers 
seated  themselves  on  the  trunks,  and  I  sculled  them 
out  to  the  steamboat. 

"  They  got  on  board,  and  I  lifted  up  their  heavy 
trunks,  and  put  them  on  deck.  The  steamer  was 
about  to  put  on  steam  again,  when  I  called  out  that 
they  had  forgotten  to  pay  me.  Each  of  them  took 
from  his  pocket  a  silver  half-dollar,  and  threw  it  on  the 
floor  of  my  boat.  I  could  scarcely  believe  my  eyes  as 
I  picked  up  the  money.  Gentlemen,  you  may  think 
it  was  a  very  little  thing,  and  in  these  days  it  seems  to 
me  a  trifle  ;  but  it  was  a  most  important  incident  in 
my  life.     I  could  scarcely  credit  that  I,  a  poor  boy, 


SUNDRY  INCIDENTS.  171 

had  earned  a  dollar  in  less  than  a  day,  —  that  by  hon- 
est work  I  had  earned  a  dollar.  The  world  seemed 
wider  and  fairer  before  me  ;  I  was  a  more  hopeful  and 
confident  being  from  that  hour." 

Abraham  had  earned  money  before,  considerable  of 
it,  but  it  belonged  to  his  father,  who  did  not  believe 
that  a  boy  had  any  necessary  use  for  it.  The  dollar 
received  for  carrying  the  trunks  he  regarded  his 
own. 

Abraham  felt,  after  leaving  Mr.  Gentry,  that  he  was 
competent  to  earn  more  than  he  had  done.  Doubt- 
less, also,  his  success  in  flat-boating  awakened  a  strong 
desire  to  continue  in  that  business.  For,  one  day,  he 
went  to  Mr.  Wood's  house,  and  stood  around  for  some 
time,  as  if  he  wanted  to  say  something  he  lacked 
courage  to  express. 

''What  is  it,  Abe.?  "  inquired  Mr.  Wood. 

"  I  want  to  get  a  place  to  work  on  the  river." 

"  That  so  1     And  what  can  I  do  for  you  }  " 

*'  I  would  like  to  have  you  give  me  a  recommenda- 
tion to  some  boat,  if  you  will." 

"But  you  are  not  of  age  yet,  Abe.  Your  father 
has  a  claim  on  you."  In  that  hard  country,  at  that 
time,  parents  needed  the  help  of  their  sons,  and  their 
claim  upon  their  labor  was  enforced  with  rigor. 

"I  know  that,"  continued  Abraham;  "but  I  want 
to  get  a  start  somewhere,  and  I  can  do  more  for  father 
so  than  I  can  by  staying  around  here." 

"  That  may  be  ;  but  that's  no  reason  why  I  should 
interfere ;  you  and  your  father  must  settle  that." 

Abraham  turned  away  from  this  interview  somewhat 
disappointed,  yet  disposed  to  make  the  best  of  it.     He 


172       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

abandoned  the  idea  of  life  on  the  river,  and  continued 
about  home.  Not  long  afterward,  Mr.  Wood  saw  him 
cutting  down  a  large  tree  in  the  forest  to  whip-saw 
into  plank. 

"  What's  up  now,  Abe  .'* "  Mr.  Wood  inquired. 

**  A  new  house ;  father  is  talking  of  putting  up  a 
new  house." 

**  Ah  !     And  you  are  getting  the  lumber  ready  } " 

"  Yes  ;  going  to  have  it  all  ready  by  the  time  he  gets 
ready  to  build." 

"  A  better  house,  I  suppose  } "  said  Mr.  Wood,  in- 
quiringly. 

"  I  hope  so ;  mother  wants  it  badly." 

"Well,  I  don't  blame  her,"  added  Mr.  Wood,  as  he 
turned  away. 

But  Abraham's  father  did  not  build  the  house,  as 
we  shall  learn  in  the  next  chapter.  The  lumber  was 
prepared,  but  the  project  of  removing  to  Illinois 
changed  his  purpose,  and  the  lumber  was  sold  to 
Josiah  Crawford  —  the  man  who  extorted  work  from 
Abraham  for  the  book. 

David  Turnham  bought  a  copy  of  the  "  Statutes  of 
Indiana,"  and  Abraham  heard  of  it,  in  consequence  of 
which  he  called  upon  the  neighbor. 

"  Can  I  see  your  copy  of  the  Statutes  of  Indiana.^  I 
hear  you  have  one,"  Abraham  asked. 

"  Of  course  you  can,  Abe,"  answered  David.  "Going 
to  study  law.!*     It  wouldn't  be  bad  business  for  you." 

"I  sha'n't  begin  to-day,"  responded  Abraham;  "but 
I  want  to  take  a  look  into  the  laws  of  Indiana.  I  don't 
know  much  about  them." 

"That's  the  case  with  me;  and  that's  the  reason  I 


SUNDRY  INCIDENTS.  '.       1 73 


bought  the  book.  I  can't  spare  it  for  you  to  take 
home,  for  I  study  it  every  minute  I  have  to  spare." 

''  I  can  read  it  here,  just  as  well,"  replied  Abraham, 
as  David  handed  him  the  book.  "It  don't  make  any 
difference  where  I  read  it." 

The  result  was  that  Abraham  spent  much  time  at 
David  Turnham's  in  studying  the  statutes  of  his  adopted 
State.  When  David  wanted  the  book,  Abraham  turned 
to  Scott's  Lessons  and  Sinbad  the  Sailor,  two  books 
which  David  owned.  He  read  these  books  through  at 
David's  house,  besides  studying  the  laws  of  Indiana 
quite  thoroughly.  To  him  the  Statutes  were  by  no 
means  dry,  as  they  would  have  been  to  most  of  his 
companions  ;  for  they  opened  a  new  and  wide  field  of 
research  to  his  inquiring  mind.  Without  doubt,  the 
influence  of  that  study  upon  his  future  career  was 
marked.  It  began  to  be  seen  very  soon  ;  for,  one  day, 
he  said  to  David,  — 

"  I'm  going  to  Booneville  to  court ;  won't  you  go 
with  me  .-^ " 

"  Going  to  be  tried  for  your  life  ? "  replied  David,  in 
a  vein  of  humor. 

''Going  to  see  how  they  try  other  folks  for  their 
lives,"  answered  Abraham.  *'  I  never  went  into  a  court- 
room, and  I'm  going  to  before  I'm  a  week  older." 

"  How  are  you  going,  Abe  }  " 

"  Going  to  walk,  of  course ;  not  much  of  a  trip 
there." 

''Well,  it  may  not  be  much  of  a  walk  for  your  long 
legs,  but  it's  a  long  one  for  mine,"  responded  David. 
"  I  think  I  will  be  excused  till  you  get  to  be  a  lawyer 
and  have  a  case  at  the  bar,  then  I'll  walk  fifteen  miles 
to  see  and  hear." 


174       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Abraham  walked  to  Booneville,  fifteen  miles,  to  court, 
and  was  doubly  paid  for  his  trouble.  The  novelty  and 
excitement  of  the  scene  captivated  him  so  completely 
that  he  walked  thither,  again  and  again  afterwards,  to 
enjoy  the  treat.  At  one  time  a  murder  trial  was  on 
the  docket,  in  which  one  of  the  best  lawyers  of  the 
State  was  counsel  for  the  defence  —  John  Breckinridge, 
Esq.  Abraham  heard  his  able  and  eloquent  plea,  and 
would  have  sat  a  week  to  listen  to  the  speaker.  "  If  I 
could  ever  become  such  a  speaker,  I  should  be  perfectly 
satisfied,"  he  said  within  himself.  He  was  so  thoroughly 
charmed  by  the  speech,  that  he  forgot  his  usual  modesty, 
and,  at  the  close  of  the  court,  stepped  up  to  Mr.  Breck- 
inridge and  said, — 

**  That  was  the  best  speech  I  ever  heard." 
The  lawyer  looked  at  the  shabby  boy,  as  if  surprised 
at  his  boldness  ;  but  did  not  deign  a  reply.  He  passed 
on,  leaving  Abraham  to  his  own  reflections.  It  deserves 
to  be  recorded  here,  that  John  Breckinridge  met  Abra- 
ham at  Washington  when  the  latter  was  President. 
Breckinridge  was  a  resident  of  Texas  then,  and  was  a 
rebel.  As  he  did  not  know  who  the  shabby  boy  was 
who  addressed  him  at  Boonville,  he  did  not  know,  of 
course,  that  it  was  he  who  had  become  President.  But 
Lincoln  recognized  the  eloquent  pleader  of  Booneville 
at  once,  and  kindly  refreshed  the  rebel's  memory. 
Breckinridge  had  applied  for  executive  clemency,  and 
that  Booneville  speech  became  a  favorable  introduction. 
Mr.  Lincoln  said  to  him,  "  It  was  the  best  speech  that 
I  ever  heard  up  to  that  time.  If  I  could,  as  I  then 
thought,  make  as  good  a  speech  as  that,  my  soul  would 
be  satisfied." 


SUNDRY  INCIDENTS.  1 75 

Through  Abraham's  influence  a  "speaking-meeting," 
or,  as  we  call  it  now,  a  lyceuuty  was  started  at  Gentry- 
ville. 

"  It  will  be  very  improving,"  said  Abraham  to  Nat 
Grigsby,  "to  say  nothing  about  the  fun  of  the  thing." 
He  was  making  a  plea  for  such  an  institution. 

"  If  we  were  all  like  you,  Abe,  there  would  be  both 
improvement  and  fun  in  the  thing,  but  we  are  not," 
answered  Nat.     "I'll  do  what  I  can,  though." 

"  And  that  is  all  any  of  us  can  do." 

"What  will  you  do  at  your  speaking-meeting.?"  Nat 
continued. 

"  Speak  pieces,  discuss  questions,  and  read  compo- 
sitions," answered  Abraham.  "  We  can  have  real  good 
times." 

"  We  might  if  we  could  all  speak  and  write  and  argue 
as  you  can,"  responded  Nat.  "  But  most  of  us  will 
have  to  take  back  seats  in  such  a  meeting,  I  tell  you. 
But  I  go  in  for  it." 

All  the  young  people  favored  the  enterprise  finally, 
and  not  a  few  of  the  older  ones.  It  started  with  flying 
colors,  and  Abraham  was  in  his  element.  The  pieces 
he  had  committed  to  memory  as  a  pastime  now  served 
him  a  good  purpose,  and,  more  than  ever,  the  people 
extolled  him.  Old  Mr.  Gentry  said,  "  Abe  will  make 
a  great  man  sure  as  he  lives."  One  of  the  enthusiastic 
women  declared,  "  He  will  be  President  of  the  United 
States  yet." 

In  the  discussions,  Abraham  was  logical  and  witty ; 
and  every  body  was  on  the  alert  to  hear  him  speak. 
Among  the  questions  discussed  were,  "  Which  is  the 
stronger,  wind  or  water.?"  and  "Which  has  the  most 


l']6       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

right  to  complain,  the  negro  or  the  Indian  ? "  Abra- 
ham had  picked  up  much  information  concerning 
wind  and  water,  so  that  he  was  not  at  all  limited  for 
materials  in  the  discussion.  On  the  other  question  he 
had  very  definite  views  of  his  own,  and  not  a  little  in- 
formation collected  from  here  and  there.  He  hated 
Indians  out  of  respect  to  his  ancestors,  if  for  no  other 
reason  ;  still,  he  considered  them  an  abused  race.  But 
he  spoke  for  the  negro  in  that  debate,  and  made  his 
first  public  plea  for  the  enslaved,  at  that  time,  on  the 
free  soil  of  Indiana. 

That  Abraham  did  not  improve  in  his  personal  ap- 
pearance, as  he  did  in  knowledge,  is  evident  from  a 
remark  of  Miss  Roby,  when  he  went  to  live  with  Mr. 
Gentry.  She  said,  "  Abe  was  then  a  long,  thin,  leggy, 
gawky  boy,  dried  up  and  shrivelled."  He  appeared  to 
be  much  older  than  he  was.  Caring  little  or  nothing 
for  dress,  he  continued  to  wear  apparel  of  the  genuine 
pioneer  pattern,  which  made  his  homeliness  more 
homely.  A  remark  of  Dennis,  on  one  occasion,  was 
quite  expressive  :  **  Abe  has  too  much  legs  to  be  hand- 
some ;  "  and  it  was  true. 

Still,  he  was  the  centre  of  attraction  in  all  circles. 
Men,  women  and  children  loved  to  hear  him  talk. 
They  would  gather  about  him  to  listen,  whether  in 
house  or  field.  He  continued  to  improve,  too,  in  this 
regard.     Nat  Grigsby  says  :  — 

"  When  he  appeared  in  company,  the  boys  would 
gather  and  cluster  around  him  to  hear  him  talk.  He 
was  figurative  in  his  speeches,  talks,  and  conversations. 
He  argued  much  from  analogy,  and  explained  things 
hard  for  us  to  understand  by  stories,  maxims,  tales, 


SUNDRY  INCIDENTS.  177 


and  figures.  He  would  almost  always  point  his  lesson 
or  idea  by  some  story  that  was  plain  and  near  us,  that 
we  might  instantly  see  the  force  and  bearing  of  what 
he  said." 

Later,  Nat  Grigsby  and  his  brother  were  married  at 
the  same  time,  and  brought  their  wives  home  to  their 
father's  cabin.  They  had  a  grand  reception  for  pio- 
neer life,  but,  in  consequence  of  some  pique,  did 
not  invite  Abraham,  who  felt  the  slight  keenly.  In 
his  chagrin,  he  wrote  a  piece  of  poetry,  which  he 
called  "The  Chronicles  of  Reuben,"  (Reuben  was  the 
name  of  one  of  the  Grigsby  brothers,)  and  dropped 
it  in  the  road  where  he  was  quite  sure  it  would  fall 
into  their  hands.  It  was  a  very  sarcastic  production, 
and  caused  quite  a  sensation,  not  only  in  the  family, 
but  also  in  the  neighborhood.  It  was  a  thoughtless 
act  of  Abraham,  which  he  regretted  afterwards ;  and 
the  whole  affair  was  subsequently  settled  on  a  lasting 
basis.  Nat  Grigsby  wrote,  after  Abraham  was  dis- 
tinguished in  public  life  :  — 

"  Lincoln  did  write  what  is  called  the  *  Chronicles 
of  Reuben'  —  a  satire  on  the  Grigsbys  and  Josiah 
Crawford,  —  not  the  school-master,  but  the  man  who 
lent  Lincoln  'The  Life  of  Washington.'  The  satire 
was  good,  sharp,  cutting ;  it  hurt  us  then,  but  it  is  all 
over  now.  There  is  no  family  in  the  land  who,  after 
this,  loved  Abe  so  well,  and  who  now  look  upon  him 
as  so  great  a  man.  We  all  voted  for  him,  —  all  that 
could,  —  children  and  grandchildren,  first,  last,  and 
always." 

Dennis  Hanks,  who  ought  to  know  more  about 
Abraham,  from  fourteen  to  eighteen  years  of  age,  than 


1/8       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

any  of  his  companions,  has  so  characteristically  de- 
scribed his  way  of  learning  and  making  progress,  that 
we  quote  his  description  here  :  — 

"■  He  learned  by  sight,  scent  and  hearing.  He  heard 
all  that  was  said,  and  talked  over  and  over  the  ques- 
tions heard ;  wore  them  slick,  greasy  and  threadbare. 
He  went  to  political  and  other  speeches  and  gather- 
ings ;  he  would  hear  all  sides  and  opinions,  talk  them 
over  and  discuss  them,  agreeing  or  disagreeing.  Abe, 
as  I  said  before,  was  originally  a  Democrat  after  the 
order  of  Jackson,  so  was  his  father,  so  we  all  were. 
He  preached,  made  speeches,  read  for  us,  explained  to 
us,  etc.  .  .  .  Abe  was  a  cheerful  boy,  a  witty  boy,  was 
humorous  always  ;  sometimes  would  get  sad,  not  very 
often.  .  .  .  He  would  frequently  make  political  and 
other  speeches  to  the  boys  ;  he  was  calm,  logical  and 
clear  always.  He  attended  trials,  went  to  court  always, 
read  the  Revised  Statutes  of  Indiana,  dated  1827, 
heard  law  speeches,  and  listened  to  law  trials,  etc.  He 
was  always  reading,  scribbling,  writing,  ciphering, 
writing  poetry,  and  the  like.  ...  In  Gentryville,  about 
one  mile  west  of  Thomas  Lincoln's  farm,  Lincoln 
would  go  and  tell  his  jokes  and  stories,  and  was 
so  odd,  original,  humorous  and  witty,  that  all  the 
people  in  town  would  gather  around  him.  He  would 
keep  them  there  till  midnight.  Abe  was  a  good  talker, 
a  good  reader,  and  was  a  kind  of  newsboy." 

In  consequence  of  the  prevalence  of  the  milk-disease, 
from  time  to  time,  the  Lincolns  discussed  the  subject 
of  removal  to  Illinois.  John  Hanks  had  gone  thither, 
and  sent  back  favorable  reports  of  the  country.  John 
returned  to  Kentucky  after  residing  with  the  Lincolns 


SUNDRY  INCIDENTS.  1 79 


four  years,  as  we  have  said  before,  and  afterward  re- 
moved to  Illinois.  It  was  natural,  therefore,  when  the 
question  of  escaping  from  the  dreaded  milk-disease  was 
raised,  to  turn  towards  that  State.  The  next  chapter 
will  furnish  an  account  of  the  removal. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

OFF    TO    ILLINOIS. 

[KFORE  the  ist  of  January,  1830,  Mr.  Lin- 
coln decided  to  remove  to  Illinois.  Dennis 
Hanks  and  Levi  Hall,  who  had  married 
IVIrs.  Lincoln's  daughters,  concluded  to  re- 
move, also,  with  their  families.  Dennis  had  made  a 
flying  visit  thither,  after  he  had  recovered  from  a 
severe  attack  of  the  milk-disease,  and  returned  with 
marvellous  stories  about  the  country.  He  went  to 
visit  "  Uncle  John  Hanks,"  who  had  settled  four  miles 
from  Decatur,  in  Macon  County.  On  this  account, 
Mr.  Lincoln  decided  to  go  directly  to  "  Uncle  John's." 
He  sold  his  farm  to  the  senior  Gentry,  and  his  corn 
and  hogs  to  David  Turnham.  He  received  ten  cents 
a  bushel  for  his  corn,  and  sold  the  hogs  for  a  "song." 
He  took  with  him  to  Illinois  "  some  stock-cattle,  one 
horse,  one  bureau,  one  table,  one  clothes-chest,  one 
set  of  chairs,  working  utensils,  clothing,  etc."  The 
goods  belonging  to  the  three  families  were  loaded 
upon  Mr.  Lincoln's  wagon,  an  "  ironed  "  wagon,  which 
was  the  first  one  he  ever  owned.  It  was  drawn  by 
four  yoke  of  oxen,  two  of  them  Lincoln's  and  the  other 
two  Hanks's ;  and  Abraham  drove  the  team.     There 


OFF   TO  ILLINOIS,  l8l 


were  thirteen  persons  in  all  who  went  —  men,  women 
and  children. 

Abraham  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  on  the 
twelfth  day  of  February,  two  or  three  days  before 
they  started  upon  their  journey. 

"  You  are  your  own  man  now,"  said  his  father. 

"  What  of  that }  "  was  Abraham's  reply,  suspecting 
what  thoughts  were  in  his  mind. 

"  Why,  you  can  go  or  stay,  though  I  don't  see  how 
I  can  get  along  without  you." 

"  Nor  I  ;  and  I  want  to  go  to  Illinois  more  than  you 
do,  and  I  shall  see  you  safely  there,  and  settled  down, 
before  I  leave  you." 

•'  I'm  glad  of  that,"  continued  his  father.  "  I  won't 
ask  you  to  stay  at  home  one  minute  after  we  get  set- 
tled down.  You  ought  to  be  looking  out  for  yourself, 
now  that  you  are  of  age." 

"We'll  talk  about  that  when  we  get  there.  Per- 
haps I  shall  find  enough  to  do  for  a  while  to  get  you 
fixed  up,  and  I  can  attend  to  that  better  than  you 
can." 

**  Well,  it's  a  long  ways  there,  and  I'm  almost  sorry 
that  I  undertook  it  at  my  time  of  life.  It  looks  like  a 
great  job  to  get  there,  and  begin  new." 

"  It  don't  to  me.  We'll  be  there,  and  have  a  roof 
over  our  heads,  in  less  than  four  weeks." 

"  If  nothing  happens,  you  mean." 

"  There  will  something  happen,  I'm  thinking," 
answered  Abraham,  dryly,  "or  we  shall  never  get 
there." 

"  What  > " 

"  I  expect  that  it  will  happen  that  we  shall  go  there 


1 82       PTOXEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

in  about  two  weeks,  by  hard  travelling.  If  that  don't 
happen,  I  shall  be  sorry." 

"  We  shall  see,"  added  Mr.  Lincoln. 

The  fact  was,  Abraham  thought  too  much  of  his 
father  and  mother  to  leave  them  to  undertake  such  a 
journey  alone.  No  money  could  have  hired  him  to 
leave  them  before  they  were  settled  in  Illinois.  Mr. 
Scripps,  who  knows  all  the  circumstances  well,  says  : 
"  He  was  the  only  son  of  his  father,  now  advanced  in 
years,  and  it  was  not  in  his  nature  to  desert  his  aged 
sire  at  a  time  when  all  the  hardships,  privations,  and 
toil  of  making  a  new  home  in  a  new  country  were 
about  to  be  entered  upon.  Whatever  the  future  may 
have  seemed  to  hold  in  it,  as  a  reward  for  effort 
specially  directed  to  that  end,  he  cheerfully  put  aside 
in  obedience  to  his  sense  of  duty,  and  engaged  at  once 
and  heartily  in  the  work  before  him." 

The  above  writer,  a  Western  man  himself,  describes 
the  manner  of  moving  in  those  days,  as  follows  :  — 

"  In  those  days,  when  people  changed  their  resi- 
dence from  one  State  or  settlement  to  another,  they 
took  all  their  movable  possessions  with  them,  —  their 
household  goods,  their  kitchen  utensils,  including  pro- 
visions for  the  journey,  their  farming  implements, 
their  horses  and  cattle.  The  former  were  loaded  into 
wagons,  drawn,  for  the  most  part,  by  oxen ;  and  the 
latter  were  driven  by  the  smaller  boys  of  the  family, 
who  were  .sometimes  assisted  by  their  sisters  and 
mother.  Thus  arranged  for  a  journey  of  weeks,  —  not 
unfrequently  of  months,  — the  emigrant  set  out,  think- 
ing but  little  of  the  hardships  before  him, — of  bad 
roads,  of  unbridged  streams,  of  disagreeable  weather, 


OFF  TO  ILLINOIS.  1 83 

of  sleeping  on  the  ground  or  in  the  wagon,  of  sickness, 
accidents,  and  sometimes  death  by  the  way,  —  dwelHng 
chiefly  in  thought  upon  the  novelty  and  excitement  of 
the  trip,  the  rumored  attractions  of  the  new  country 
whither  he  was  going,  and  of  the  probable  advantages 
likely  to  result  from  the  change.  By  ten  or  fifteen 
miles  per  day,  over  untravelled  roads,  now  across 
mountains,  swamps  and  watercourses,  and  now  through 
dense,  umbrageous  forests,  and  across  broad  prairies 
where  the  horizon  alone  bounded  the  vision,  the  cara- 
van of  wagons,  men,  women  and  children,  flocks  and 
herds,  toiled  onward  by  day,  sleeping  under  the  broad 
canopy  of  stars  at  night,  patiently  accomplishing  the 
destined  journey,  sometimes  of  weeks',  sometimes  of 
months'  duration." 

In  this  way  the  Lincoln,  Hanks  and  Hall  families 
moved  to  Illinois.  The  distance  was  about  two  hun- 
dred miles — not  much  of  an  undertaking  for  the  per- 
severance and  heroism  of  pioneer  families. 

The  weather  proved  favorable  nearly  all  the  way, 
though  the  roads  were  excessively  muddy.  For  miles 
Abraham  walked  through  mud  a  foot  deep.  Often, 
for  a  long  distance,  he  waded  in  water  up  to  his  knees 
(and  it  is  well  known  that  his  knees  were  not  very  low 
down).  When  they  had  performed  nearly  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  of  the  journey,  they  came  to  the 
Kaskaskia  River,  where  they  found  the  bottom  lands 
overflowed,  and  the  old  corduroy  road  nearly  gone, 

"  We're  done  to  now,"  said  Hanks. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  answered  Abraham. 
**  Let  us  see  about  it." 

**  It  is  plain  enough  to  see,  I  should  think.     The 


1 84       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

man  who  directed  us  back  there  yesterday  said,  if  the 
bottom  was  overflowed,  it  would  be  three  miles 
through  water,  and  I  should  think  it  was  more  than 
that." 

''  I  don't  care  if  it's  twice  three,"  replied  Abraham, 
"  if  it's  not  too  deep  to  wade." 

"  We  can  wait  some  days  for  the  water  to  fall,  or  we 
can  go  up  or  down  the  river  a  few  miles,  and  possibly 
find  a  better  place  to  cross,"  suggested  Hanks. 

"  That  will  take  too  much  time.  The  water  won't 
fall  yet  awhile.  It  is  February  yet,  you  know,  and  the 
rivers  are  always  high.  I  am  for  going  straight  ahead 
through  thick  and  thin." 

"That's  the  only  way,  I  think,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln, 
who  had  listened  to  the  conversation,  while  he  was 
looking  rather  doubtfully  upon  the  flood  of  water  before 
them. 

"  We  can't  stay  here  for  the  water  to  fall,  that's 
certain,"  continued  Abraham,  ''and  as  to  finding  a 
better  place  to  cross,  I  don't  believe  we  can,  if  we  go 
around  twenty  miles." 

"And  that  would  take  time,  too,"  suggested  his 
father. 

"  Yes,  and  I  am  for  going  right  along.  I  will  go 
forward  ;  and  if  I  go  under,  the  rest  of  you  may  take 
warning."  This  remark  was  made  rather  in  a  strain 
of  pleasantry,  to  inspire  all  hearts  around  him  with 
courage.  "  Come,  Dennis,  what  do  you  say }  Will 
you  follow  me  V 

"Of  course  ;  I  can  go  where  you  can." 

It  was  settled  to  go  forward,  turning  neither  to  the 
right   hand  nor  left.     And  for  three  miles  Abraham 


OFF  TO  ILLINOIS.  1 85 

drove  his  team  through  water  that  was  up  to  his  waist, 
urging  his  oxen  along,  and  cheering  the  hearts  of  the 
company  with  words  of  encouragement.  Mr.  Lamon 
says,  "  In  crossing  the  swollen  and  tumultuous  Kas- 
kaskia  the  wagon  and  oxen  were  nearly  swept  away." 
But  Abraham's  pluck  and  energy  overcame  the  diffi- 
culty, and,  on  the  first  day  of  March,  1830,  they  arrived 
at  John  Hanks'  house,  four  miles  northwest  of  Decatur. 
What  kind  of  a  cabin  Uncle  John  possessed,  we  do  not 
know,  but  the  advent  of  thirteen  visitors  must  have 
fully  occupied  all  the  spare  room  in  it.  But  squeezing 
the  largest  number  of  persons  into  the  smallest  space 
was  incidental  to  pioneer  life. 

**rve  fixed  on  the  spot  for  you  to  settle,"  said  Uncle 
John  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  *' and  there's  a  lot  of  logs  there  for 
a  cabin,  which  I  cut  last  year." 

"How  far  away  is  W.  "  inquired  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  Only  a  few  miles  ;  and  it  will  be  a  short  job  to  put 
up  a  cabin,  now  the  logs  are  all  ready ;  and  you  are 
welcome  to  them." 

"Well,  that  is  a  great  lift,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln; 
"with  the  logs  all  cut,  Abe,  Dennis,  and  I  will  make 
short  work  of  building  a  shelter." 

"And  my  help,  too,"  added  Uncle  John ;  "nothing 
to  do  now  but  to  get  you  fixed." 

"  I'm  going  to  have  a  better  house  than  we  had  in 
Indiana,"  chimed  in  Abraham,  who  was  listening  to  the 
conversation.     "  Hewed  logs,  and  less  mud." 

"I'll  second  that  project,"  interjected  his  mother. 
"  A  little  more  labor  and  expense  upon  a  habitation 
will  increase  comforts  ten-fold." 

The  subject  of  a  log-house  was  thus  discussed,  and 


1 86       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  following  day,  Mr.  Lincoln,  Uncle  John,  Abraham 
and  Dennis  repaired  to  the  location  selected,  to  investi- 
gate. It  was  on  the  north  side  of  Sangamon  River, 
about  ten  miles  west  of  Decatur ;  and,  perhaps,  six 
miles,  in  a  straight  line,  from  Uncle  John's  cabin.  All 
were  delighted  with  the  location,  mainly  because  it  was 
at  the  junction  of  the  timber  and  prairie  lands,  and 
was  well  supplied  with  water. 

Short  work  was  made  in  erecting  the  best  log-house 
the  Lincoln  family  ever  occupied.  Abraham  took 
charge  of  the  work,  because  he  was  determined  to  have 
as  good  a  house  for  his  parents  as  could  be  built  of 
logs.  There  was  a  good  supply  of  material  that  Uncle 
John  had  prepared,  from  which  Abraham  selected  the 
best  logs,  every  one  of  which  was  carefully  hewn,  though 
the  only  tools  they  had  to  work  with  was  a  common  axe, 
a  broad-axe,  a  hand-saw,  and  a  "drawer-knife." 

After  the  cabin  was  built,  a  smoke-house  and  stable 
were  erected  near  by.  The  doors  and  floor  of  the  cabin 
were  made  of  puncheon,  and  the  gable-ends  of  the 
structure  boarded  up  with  plank  "  rived  "  by  Abraham's 
hand  out  of  oak  timber.  The  nails  used  —  and  they 
were  very  few — were  all  brought  from  their  old  home 
in  Indiana.* 

"You  never  saw  such  land  as  this,"  remarked  John 
Hanks  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  "The  land  in  Indiana  can't 
compare  with  this  prairie  land." 

"  I'm  convinced  of  that,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln  ; 
"  the  half  wasn't  told  us.  And  we  must  turn  over  a  big 
piece  of  it  this  spring  for  corn,  and  fence  it,  too.  Abe 
is  great  on  splitting  rails." 

*  Dr.  Holland. 


OFF  TO  ILLINOTS.  1 8/ 

"  He  can  have  a  chance  to  split  'em  to  his  heart's 
content  now,"  continued  John.  "It'll  take  a  pile  on 
*em  to  fence  fifteen  acres,  and  you'll  want  to  put  in  as 
much  as  that." 

"  And  fifteen  acres  of  such  land  as  this  will  make 
such  a  corn-field  as  Indiana  farmers  are  not  acquainted 
with,"  added  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"Abe  and  I  can  break  it  up,"  continued  John  ;  "and 
fence  it  into  the  bargain." 

This  was  the  final  decision,  after  the  Lincolns  were 
settled  in  their  new  home  —  that  Abraham  and  John 
should  plough  the  fifteen  acres,  and  then  fence  the  field. 
With  the  four  yokes  of  oxen,  each  driving  two  yokes, 
the  fifteen  acres  were  turned  over  within  a  week  ;  and, 
as  soon  as  the  planting  was  done,  the  rail-splitting  and 
fencing  commenced  iri  earnest.  Abraham  and  John 
got  out  all  the  rails,  and  put  up  the  fence  around  the 
fifteen  acres.  Those  rails  became  historic  after  thirty 
years,  and  played  an  important  part  in  an  interesting 
chapter  of  our  national  career,  as  we  shall  learn  here- 
after. 

With  all  his  labor  at  home,  Abraham  found  time  to 
work  out  considerably  in  the  neighborhood.  Rev.  A. 
Hale  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  visited  the  locality,  after 
the  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  one  Mrs.  Brown 
related  the  following  to  him  :  — 

"  I  remember  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  worked  for  my  old 
man,  and  helped  make  a  crap.  We  lived  on  the  same 
farm  we  live  on  now,  and  he  worked  and  made  a  crap, 
and  the  next  winter  they  hauled  the  crap  all  the  way 
to  Galena,  and  sold  it.  At  that  time  there  was  no 
public-houses,  and  travellers  were  obliged  to  stay  at 


1 88       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

any  house  along  the  road  that  could  take  them  in. 
One  evening  a  right  smart-looking  man  rode  up  to  the 
fence,  and  asked  my  old  man  if  he  could  get  to  stay 
over  night.  '  Well,'  said  Mr.  Brown,  *  we  can  feed 
your  crittur,  and  give  you  something  to  eat,  but  we 
can't  lodge  you  unless  you  can  sleep  on  the  bed  with 
the  hired  man.*  The  man  hesitated,  and  asked,  *  Where 
is  he  ? '  *  Well,'  said  Mr.  Brown,  *  you  can  come  and 
see  him.'  So  the  man  got  down  from  his  crittur,  and 
Mr.  Brown  took  him  around  to  where,  in  the  shade  of 
the  house,  Abe  lay  his  full  length  on  the  ground,  with 
an  open  book  before  him.  'There,'  said  Mr.  Brown, 
pointing  to  him,  'he  is.'  The  stranger  looked  at  him 
a  minute,  and  said,  'Well,  I  think  he'll  do;'  and  he 
stayed  and  slept  with  the  President  of  the  United 
States." 

It  is  claimed  that  Mrs.  Brown  was  wrong  in  saying 
that  Abraham  worked  for  her  husband,  the  fact  being 
that  he  worked  for  one  Taylor,  near  by,  and  boarded 
with  her.  It  is  probable,  also,  that  he  worked  for  him 
only  at  such  times,  during  that  first  summer  in  IlUnois, 
as  he  was  not  needed  at  home. 

"Abe  was  the  roughest  looking  fellow  I  ever  saw," 
remarked  George  Cluse,  who  worked  with  him  occa- 
sionally that  year;  "he  was  so  tall,  awkward  and 
wrinkled  ! " 

"  Was  he  a  good  worker  V 

"  None  better  to  be  found  ;  and  he  knew  more  than 
any  man  I  ever  saw;  but  his  dress  was  comical." 

"  How  did  he  dress.-*" 

"  He  wore  trousers  made  of  flax  and  tow,  cut  tight 
at  the  ankles,  and  out  at  both  knees.     I  looked  bad 


OFF  TO  ILLINOIS.  189 

enough  myself,  but  compared  with  him,  my  dress  was 
superb."  At  the  time  Thomas  Lincoln  left  Indiana, 
few  families  in  that  part  of  the  country  used  woollen 
goods.     They  were  unknown  there  until  about  1825. 

"I  split  rails  with  him  a  good  deal,"  continued 
Cluse.  "  He'd  split  more  rails  in  a  day  than  any  other 
man.  He  was  strong  as  an  ox,  and  never  got  tired. 
He  made  a  bargain  that  season  with  Nancy  Miller,  to 
split  four  hundred  rails  for  every  yard  of  brown  jeans, 
dyed  with  white  walnut  bark,  that  would  be  necessary 
to  make  him  a  pair  of  trousers  ;  and  that  was  the  way 
he  got  trousers  that  were  not  out  at  the  knees." 

"  What  about  reading  }     Was  he  fond  of  books  }  " 

"When  J  worked  with  him,  he'd  not  much  chance 
to  fool  with  books ;  but  he  was  always  talking  history, 
and  politics,  and  great  men ;  and  I  have  seen  him 
going  to  his  work  with  a  book  in  his  hand.  Then,  Abe 
walked  five,  six,  and  seven  miles  to  his  work." 

It  is  quite  evident  that  Abraham  made  himself  ex- 
tremely useful  in  Illinois  in  the  year  1830  by  his  in- 
dustry and  hard  labor.  He  made  himself  very  agree- 
able, also,  by  his  intelligence  and  social  qualities. 
George  Cluse  says,  **  He  was  a  welcome  guest  in  every 
house  in  the  neighborhood." 

In  the  autumn  of  that  year,  fever  and  ague  visited 
the  region  of  Decatur,  and  every  member  of  the  Lin- 
coln family  were  attacked  by  it  —  not  severely,  never- 
theless with  sufficient  violence  to  make  them  "  shake." 
Even  Abraham's  stalwart  frame  came  under  its  power 
for  a  brief  season  ;  but  he  shook  it  off  before  it  had 
much  of  a  chance  to  shake  him.  The  experience,  how- 
ever, satisfied  the  family  that  their  location  in  Illinois 


190       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

was  not  favorable  to  health.  And  we  may  state  here 
as  well  as  anywhere,  that,  in  consequence  of  the  ap- 
pearance of  this  disease,  Mr.  Lincoln  removed  subse- 
quently to  a  more  favorable  locality,  and  finally  settled 
in  Cole's  County,  where  he  died  on  the  17th  of  Jan- 
uary, 185 1. 

The  first  winter  of  the  Lincolns  in  Illinois  was  a 
very  trying  one.  It  was  the  winter  of  the  ''great 
snow,"  as  it  was  called,  when,  for  weeks,  it  averaged 
three  feet  deep.  Being  chiefly  dependent  upon  the 
rifle  for  meat,  the  severity  of  the  winter  interfered 
somewhat  with  their  supplies.  But  for  the  strength, 
endurance,  and  perseverance  of  Abraham,  their  com- 
forts w^ould  have  been  abridged  much  more.  His  use 
of  the  rifle  during  that  rigorous  winter  well  nigh  dis- 
proved what  one  of  his  early  associates  writes  to  us, 
viz.  :  *'  Abe  was  not  much  of  a  hunter  ;  we  seldom  went 
hunting  together.  The  time  spent  by  us  boys  in  this 
amusement  was  improved  by  him  in  the  perusal  of 
some  good  book." 


CHAPTER    XV. 
ANOTHER  TRIP  TO  NEW  ORLEANS. 

|ENTON  OFFUTT  was  a  trader,  residing  at 
New  Salem.  Meeting  John  Hanks,  one  day, 
he  said:  — 

"  John  !  I  want  you  to  take  a  boat  for  me 
to  New  Orleans  on  a  trading  trip  ;  you  understand  the 
business."     John  had  some  reputation  as  a  waterman. 

**  I  can't  do  it;  don't  fancy  the  bisness." 

"  Fudge !  you  can  do  it  if  you  only  think  so.  I'll 
pay  you  extra  for  it.  -  You  are  the  only  man  who  can 
do  it  to  suit  me." 

"  I  know  of  a  man  who  can  do  it  for  you,"  said  John. 
**  Abe  Lincoln  understands  it  ;  and  perhaps  he'll  do  it." 

** Who's  Abe  Lincoln.?" 

''  He's  a  relative  of  mine ;  came  to  Illinois  from 
Indiana  about  one  year  ago,  and  settled  a  few  miles 
from  me." 

"Well,  I  don't  know  anything  about  him,"  continued 
Offutt,  "  and  I  do  know  about  you.     Say  you'll  go." 

"  Maybe  I'll  go  if  Abe  and  John  Johnston  will  go." 

"And  who's  John  Johnston.'*" 

"  He  is  Abe.  Lincoln's  step-brother,  and  lives  with 
him.     He  came  with  him  from  Indiana." 


192       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


**  And  you  think  they  are  good  men  for  the  business?' 

**  I  know  they  are ;  Abe,  especially,  can't  be  beat  on 
a  boat.     He's  the  tallest  and  strongest  chap  in  Illinois." 

"  Well,  now,  John,  I'll  do  most  any  way  to  get  you  to 
undertake  the  trip,"  continued  Offutt ;  "  and  if  you'll 
see  your  two  friends,  and  get  them  to  go,  I'll  see  that 
they'll  make  a  good  thing  of  it." 

*'  How  much  pay  will  you  give  ? " 

**  I'll  give  you — all  three  of  you — fifty  cents  a  day  ; 
and,  at  the  end  of  the  trip,  I  will  divide  sixty  dollars, 
in  addition,  equally  between  you." 

''That's  good  pay,  and  no  mistake,"  replied  John, 
who  was  rather  surprised  at  the  generosity  of  the  offer  : 
•'  I  think  we'll  be  able  to  arrange  it." 

Offutt  was  a  man  of  considerable  property  for  that 
region,  and  he  was  generous,  too,  some  said  "  too 
generous  for  his  own  good." 

John  Hanks  lost  no  time  in  laying  the  subject  before 
Abraham  and  Johnston. 

"  I  should  like  the  job,"  Abraham  replied  at  once. 
"  That  is  larger  pay  than  I  ever  had,  and  I  rather  like 
the  business." 

"I  can't  say  that  I  like  the  business,"  said  Hanks; 
"but  I  think  I'll  accept  this  offer.  Offutt  is  a  capital 
fellow,  and  I  would  go  on  such  a  trip  for  him  a  little 
quicker  than  I  would  for  anybody  else." 

**  Agreed,"  was  John  Johnston's  laconic  way  of  say- 
ing that  he  would  go.  The  fact  was,  Offutt  had  made 
them  a  very  generous  offer — larger  pay  than  any  one 
of  them  had  ever  received. 

It  was  February,  1831,  when  Offutt  made  the  offer; 
and,  early  in  March,  the  fortunate  trio  left  home  to 


ANOTHER    TRIP    TO  NEW  ORLEANS.       193 

meet  Offutt  at  Springfield,  according  to  arrangement. 
They  proceeded  down  the  Sangamon  in  a  canoe  to 
Jamestown  (then  known  as  Judy's  Ferry)  five  miles 
east  of  Springfield.  Thence  they  walked  to  Spring- 
field, where  they  met  Offutt  at  "  Elliott's  Tavern." 
Offutt  met  Abraham  with  a  look  of  surprise.  He  was 
not  expecting  to  see  a  giant,  although  Hanks  told  him 
that  his  relative  was  the  tallest  man  in  Illinois  ;  nor 
was  he  expecting  to  see  a  man  as  green  as  he  was  tall. 
However,  they  were  soon  on  the  best  of  terms,  and 
Offutt  said:  — 

"  I've  been  badly  disappointed ;  expected  a  boat  built 
by  this  time,  at  the  mouth  of  Spring  Creek,  but  I 
learned  yesterday  that  it  wan't  touched  ;  and  now  what's 
to  be  done.-* " 

*'  Build  a  boat  at  once,"  answered  Abraham,  with  a 
promptness  that  won  Offutt's  heart. 

"Can  you  build  a  boat.^"  asked  Offutt. 

*'0f  course  I  can,"  repHed  Abraham.  "We  three 
can  put  the  job  through  in  three  weeks." 

"We'll  have  the  boat,  then,  in  short  order,"  responded 
Offutt.  "  Plenty  of  timber  at  Spring  Creek,  and  we 
can  raft  it  down  to  Sangamontown,  and  build  the  boat 
there." 

They  repaired  to  Spring  Creek,  and  spent  about  two 
weeks  there  cutting  timber  "on  Congress  land,"  board- 
ing a  full  mile  from  their  work.  While  there,  Abraham 
walked  back  to  Judy's  Ferry,  ten  miles  distant,  and 
brought  down  the  canoe  which  they  had  left  there. 
The  timber  was  rafted  down  to  Sangamontown,  where 
Abraham  and  his  two  companions  erected  a  shanty  for 
temporary  shelter.      Here  they  boarded  themselves, 


194       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Abraham  playing  the  part  of  "cook"  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  two  Johns.  The  lumber  was  sawed 
at  Kilpatrick's  mill,  one  mile  and  a  half  distant.  With 
all  these  inconveniences,  the  boat  was  ready  for  the 
trip  within  four  weeks,  and  a  very  substantial  boat  it 
was. 

Offutt  joined  the  party  at  Sangamontown,  and  was 
present  during  the  construction  of  the  boat.  He  soon 
learned  that  the  long,  tall,  and  green  Abraham  was  a 
young  man  of  rare  talents.  Offutt  was  a  Whig,  and  so 
was  Abraham  now,  although  the  latter  was  not  willing 
to  hear  the  former  abuse  Jackson.  Offutt  indulged  his 
pique  in  this  line,  and  Abraham  met  him  squarely,  and 
hot  discussions  followed,  enlivening  the  camp  and 
making  merry  times.  Offutt  was  quite  a  politician,  but 
Abraham  was  more  than  a  match  for  him.  His  famil- 
iarity with  the  lives  of  a  few  of  the  great  men  of  the 
country,  and  the  habits,  customs  and  principles  of  their 
times,  gave  him  a  decided  advantage  over  Offutt.  Abra- 
ham often  contributed  to  the  merriment  of  the  camp 
by  reciting  ''prose-like  orations"  and  quoting  poetry. 
He  also  extracted  a  large  amount  of  fun  out  of  his 
new  occupation  —  that  of  "cook."  On  the  whole,  the 
two  weeks  at  boat-building  were  merry  ones,  and  they 
quickly  sped. 

While  the  little  company  were  employed  at  Sanga- 
montown, a  juggler  gave  an  exhibition  in  the  upper 
room  of  John  Carman's  house.  Another  says  :  "Abe 
went  to  it  dressed  in  a  suit  of  rough  bluejeans.  He 
had  on  shoes,  but  the  trousers  did  not  reach  them  by 
about  twelve  inches ;  and  the  naked  shin,  which  had 
excited  John  Romine's  laughter  years  ago  in  Indiana, 


ANOTHER    TRIP    TO  NEW  ORLEANS.        195 


was  still  exposed.  Between  the  roundabout  and  the 
waist  of  the  trousers  there  was  another  wide  space  un- 
covered ;  and,  considering  these  defects,  his  attire  was 
thought  to  be  somewhat  inelegant,  even  in  those 
times.  His  hat,  however,  was  a  great  improvement 
on  coon  skins  and  opossum.  It  was  woollen,  broad- 
brimmed  and  low-crowned.  In  his  hat  '  the  showman 
cooked  eggs.'  Whilst  Abe  was  handing  it  up  to  him, 
after  the  man  had  long  sought  for  a  similar  favor  from 
the  rest  of  the  audience,  he  remarked,  'Mister,  the 
reason  I  didn't  give  you  my  hat  before  was  out  of  re- 
spect to  your  eggs,  not  care  for  my  hat.'  " 

As  soon  as  the  boat  was  completed,  a  partial  cargo 
of  barrel-pork,  hogs  and  corn  was  taken  on  board,  and 
the  craft  started  down  the  river.  Offutt  went  in  the 
capacity  of  merchant,  to  make  purchases  along  the 
way.  Just  below  New  Salem,  of  which  we  shall  hear 
and  see  much  hereafter,  the  boat  stuck  fast  on  Rut- 
ledge's  dam  through  one  night  and  part  of  a  day  — 
*'  one  end  of  it  hanging  over  the  dam  and  the  other 
sunk  deep  in  the  water  behind." 

*'  A  pretty  fix  now,"  cried  out  Offutt ;  "  it  will  take 
longer  to  get  out  of  this  scrape  than  it  did  to  build  the 
boat." 

"Guess    not,"   replied  Abraham,   who  took  in  the 
situation  at  a  glance.     ''  We  must  unload,  though." 
"Into  the  river,  I  spose,"  responded  Offutt. 
"  Borrow  a  boat,  and  transfer  the  cargo  to  it,  and  let 
us  see  what  can  be  done,"  continued  Abraham. 

This  was  in  the  morning,  after  the  boat  had  "  stuck  " 
through  the  night.  Nearly  all  the  people  of  New 
Salem  had  assembled  on  shore  watching  the  move- 
ments. 


196       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Your  boat  will  sink  or  break  in  two  pieces,  if  you 
are  not  in  a  hurry,"  cried  out  a  looker-on.  And  such 
a  result  seemed  inevitable.  For  the  cargo  was  sliding 
backwards,  and  the  peril  increased  with  every  passing 
minute.  But,  under  Abraham's  direction,  the  cargo 
was  soon  shifted  to  a  borrowed  boat,  when  he  imme- 
diately bored  a  large  hole  in  the  bottom  of  that  part  of 
the  boat  extending  over  the  dam.  Then  he  erected 
"queer  machinery"  for  tilting  the  part  of  the  boat 
under  water,  and  holding  it  in  position  until  the  water 
was  emptied  through  the  hole  bored.  Stopping  up  the 
hole  after  the  water  had  run  out  was  the  work  of  only 
a  few  minutes,  when  the  relieved  craft  was  pushed 
over  the  dam,  and  glided  into  the  deep  pool  below 
amidst  the  hurrahs  of  the  many  beholders.  Offutt 
was  particularly  elated. 

"That's  real  skill,  Abe,"  he  cried  ;  "one  in  a  thou- 
sand couldn't  do  that.  Three  cheers  for  Abe  Lin- 
coln," he  shouted,  swinging  his  hat,  and  leading  the 
cheers  vociferously. 

It  was  a  hearty  tribute  to  Abraham's  ingenuity  in 
which  th^  observers  joined  without  reserve. 

"  When  I  get  back  from  New  Orleans,"  shouted 
Offutt,  turning  to  the  beholders  on  shore,  "  I'll  build  a 
steamboat  to  navigate  the  Sangamon  River,  and  make 
Abe  captain.  I'll  build  it  with  runners  for  ice  and 
rollers  for  shoals  and  dams,  and,  by  thunder,  it  will 
have  to  go,  with  Abe  for  captain." 

This  funny  way  of  putting  it  awoke  another  burst 
of  applause  from  the  spectators,  while  the  tall,  awk- 
ward Abraham  shook  his  sides  with  laughter. 

This  mishap  to  their  craft  set  Abraham  to  thinking 


ANOTHER    TRIP    TO  NEW  ORLEANS.       IQ/ 

of  ways  to  overcome  the  difficulties  of  navigating 
Western  rivers.  It  was  several  years,  however,  before 
his  thoughts  and  studies  thereupon  took  tangible 
shape  in  the  form  of  an  invention.  After  he  was 
elected  President,  the  Washington  correspondent  of 
the  Boston  Advertiser  wrote  as  follows  concerning 
it :  — 

"  Occupying  an  ordinary  and  common-place  position  in  one  of 
the  show  cases  in  the  large  hall  of  the  Patent  Office  is  one  little 
model  which,  in  ages  to  come,  will  be  prized  as  at  once  one  of 
the  most  curious  and  one  of  the  most  sacred  relics  in  that  vast 
museum  of  unique  and  priceless  things.  This  is  a  plain  and 
simple  model  of  a  steamboat,  roughly  fashioned  in  wood,  by  the 
hand  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  It  bears  date  in  1849,  when  the 
inventor  was  known  simply  as  a  successful  lawyer  and  rising 
polidcian  of  Central  Illinois.  Neither  his  practice  nor  his  poli- 
tics took  up  so  much  of  his  time  as  to  prevent  him  from  giving 
much  attention  to  contrivances  which  he  hoped  might  be  of 
benefit  to  the  world  and  of  profit  to  himself. 

"  The  design  of  this  indention  is  suggestive  of  one  phase  of 
Abraham  Lincoln's  early  life,  when  he  went  up  and  down  the 
Mississippi  as  a  flat-boatman,  and  became  familiar  with  some  of 
the  dangers  and  inconveniences  attending  the  navigation  of  the 
Western  rivers.  It  is  an  attempt  to  make  it  an  easy  matter  to 
transport  vessels  over  shoals  and  snags  and  sawyers.  The  main 
idea  is  that  of  an  apparatus  resembling  a  noiseless  bellows  placed 
on  each  side  of  the  hull  of  the  craft,  just  below  the  water-line, 
and  worked  by  an  odd  but  not  complicated  system  of  ropes, 
valves  and  pulleys.  When  the  keel  of  the  vessel  grates  against 
the  sand  or  obstruction,  these  bellows  are  to  be  filled  with  air . 
and  thus  buoyed  up,  the  ship  is  expected  to  float  lighdy  and 
gayly  over  the  shoal  which  would  otherwise  have  proved  a  serious 
interruption  to  her  voyage. 

"  The  model,  which  is  about  eighteen  or  twenty  inches  long, 
and  has  the  air  of  being  whitded  with  a  knife  out  of  a  shingle 
and  a  cigar-box,  is  built  without  any  elaboration  or  ornament,  or 


198       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

any  extra  apparatus  beyond  that  necessary  to  show  the  operation 
of  buoying  the  steamer  over  the  obstructions.  Herein  it  differs 
from  very  many  of  the  models  which  share  with  it  the  shelter  of 
the  immense  halls  of  the  Patent  Office,  and  which  are  fashioned 
with  wonderful  nicety  and  exquisite  finish,  as  if  much  of  the 
labor  and  thought  and  affection  of  a  lifetime  had  been  devoted  to 
their  construction.  This  is  a  model  of  a  different  kind  ;  carved 
as  one  might  imagine  a  retired  rail-splitter  would  whittle,  strongly, 
but  not  smoothly,  and  evidently  made  with  a  view  solely  to  con- 
vey, by  the  simplest  possible  means,  to  the  minds  of  the  patent 
authorities,  an  idea  of  the  purpose  and  plan  of  the  simple  inven- 
tion. The  label  on  the  steamer's  deck  informs  us  that  the  patent 
was  obtained  ;  but  we  do  not  learn  that  the  navigation  of  the 
Western  rivers  was  revolutionized  by  this  quaint  conception. 
The  modest  little  model  has  reposed  here  sixteen  years  ;  and, 
since  it  found  its  resting-place  here  on  the  shelf,  the  shrewd  in- 
ventor has  found  it  his  task  to  guide  the  Ship  of  State  over 
shoals  more  perilous,  and  obstructions  more  obstinate,  than  any 
prophet  dreamed  of  when  Abraham  Lincoln  wrote  his  bold  auto- 
graph on  the  prow  of  this  miniature  steamer." 

When  the  boat  was  safely'  over  the  dam,  in  the 
deep  pool  below,  it  was  re-loaded,  and  then  sped  on 
its  way.  At  Salt  Creek,  Offutt  stopped  to  make  a 
purchase  of  live  hogs,  but  the  wild  vicious  animals 
were  determined  not  to  go  on  board  ;  and  they  were 
full  of  fight.  Once  on  board,  they  might  make  fearful 
war  upon  each  other,  causing  much  trouble  to  the 
trader  and  his  crew.  After  vainly  trying  to  drive  the 
hogs  towards  the  river,  Abraham  remarked  :  — 

"  It's  no  use  ;  they  are  too  ugly  to  go  where  you 
want  them  to  go." 

"  They  wouldn't  be  hogs,  if  they  did,"  responded 
Offutt.  *'  You'll  have  to  get  up  some  sort  of  a  tack- 
ling, Abe,  to  get  them  aboard,  as  you  got   the  boat 


ANOTHER   TRIP   TO  NEW  ORLEANS.       199 

over  the  dam."     The  last  remark  was  made  partly  in 
praise  of  Abraham,  and  partly  in  a  vein  of  humor. 

"  Sew  up  their  eyes  and  tie  their  legs,"  exclaimed 
Abraham  ;  "  there's  no  other  way  to  get  them  aboard 
and  keep  them  still  after  they  get  there." 

"  That's  it,  exactly,  Abe,"  replied  Offutt ;  ''  I  knew 
that  you  could  find  a  way  out  of  the  trouble.  Let's 
see  you  put  your  theory  in  practice," 

Abraham  seized  a  hog  by  the  ears,  and  directed 
Hanks  to  hold  him  by  the  tail,  while  Offutt  should  tie 
his  legs  and  sew  up  his  eyelids.  "  If  he  fights,  he 
must  fight  in  the  dark,"  he  added. 

The  experiment  proved  successful ;  and  the  hogs 
were  loaded  into  a  cart  and  drawn  to  the  river, 
where  Abraham  took  them  up  in  his  long  arms,  one 
by  one,  and  carried  them  aboard. 

"  Rather  cruel,"  he  said,  "  but  there's  no  help  for  it. 
In  a  battle  with  wild  hogs  we  must  use  war-tactics." 

"You're  a  genius,  Abe,"  said  Offutt;  "ugly  hogs 
and  dams  and  shoals  are  of  little  account  to  you." 

Before  leaving  Salt  Creek,  Abraham  rigged  up 
"curious-looking  sails,"  with  plank  and  cloth  to  in- 
crease their  speed.  The  device  accomplished  his 
purpose;  but  it  "was  a  sight  to  behold,"  as  one  re- 
liable witness  declared.  When  they  "  rushed  down 
through  Beardstown,"  the  craft  presented  such  a  comi- 
cal appearance  that  "  the  people  came  out  and  laughed 
at  them." 

"Let  them  laugh  and  take  it  out  in  laughing,  so 
long  as  the  thing  works  well,"  said  Abraham,  rather 
enjoying  the  singular  exhibition  because  it  attracted 
attention. 


200       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

They  stopped  only  at  Memphis,  Vicksburg  and 
Natchez,  after  leaving  Salt  Creek,  during  the  whole 
distance  to  New  Orleans,  where  they  arrived  without 
another  drawback.  Offutt  disposed  of  his  goods 
readily,  and  made  a  very  profitable  trip  of  it.  At  the 
same  time,  he  obtained  such  an  insight  into  Abra- 
ham's character  and  abilities  that  he  resolved  to  make 
the  best  use  of  him  possible  in  future. 

"  Inhuman,"  exclaimed  Abraham,  one  day,  when 
they  saw  a  gang  of  slaves  chained  together,  and  a 
merciless  driver  cracking  his  whip  about  their  heads. 
*' A  nation  that  tolerates  such  inhumanity  will  have  to 
pay  for  it  some  day." 

"They  are  used  to  it,"  replied  Offutt,  "and  mind 
no  more  about  it  than  cattle." 

"What  if  they  don't.?"  retorted  Abraham.  "You 
can't  make  cattle  of  men  without  being  inhuman. 
I  tell  you,  the  nation  that  does  it  will  be  cursed." 

"Not  in  our  day,"  remarked  Offutt. 

"In  somebody's  day,  though,"  responded  Abraham, 
promptly. 

That  Abraham's  visits  to  New  Orleans  served  to 
increase  his  hostility  to  slavery,  there  can  be  no 
doubt,  especially  his  visit  in  1831.  For  John  Hanks 
said,  thirty  years  afterwards,  recalling  the  incidents 
of  that  memorable  trip:  — 

"There  it  was  we  saw  negroes  chained,  maltreated, 
whipped  and  scourged.  Lincoln  saw  it,  and  his  heart 
bled.  It  made  him  sad,  he  looked  bad,  felt  bad,  was 
thoughtful  and  abstracted.  I  can  say,  knowing  it, 
that  it  was  on  this  trip  that  he  formed  his  opinions  of 
slavery.     It  ran  its  iron  into  him  then  and  there, — 


ANOTHER    TRIP    TO  NEW  ORLEANS.       201 


May,    183 1.     I    have   heard   him    say   so,    often    and 
often." 

Providence  was  leading  Abraham  in  a  way  that 
he  knew  not,  disciplining  him  for  the  day  when  he 
would  be  forced  to  grapple  with  the  system  of  Amer- 
ican slavery,  to  overthrow  it.  All  such  incidents  as 
these  become  more  interesting  and  important  in 
their  providential  connection  with  his  future  pubHc 
career. 

In  June,  Offutt,  with  his  men,  was  ready  to  return, 
and  he  engaged  passage  for  all  on  a  steamer  up  the 
Mississippi  to  St.  Louis.  On  the  way  up  the  river, 
Offutt  surprised  Abraham  by  saying : 

"Abe,  I  think  you  can  sell  goods  for  me;  how 
would  you  like  it  V 

"What  kind  of  goods.?"  Abraham  asked. 

"Store  goods,  such  as  country  stores  keep,"  Offutt 
answered.  "How  would  you  like  to  run  my  store  at 
New  Salem.?" 

"I  should  like  it  well  enough  provided  I  could 
do  it." 

"You  can  do  it  well  enough  ;  I  have  no  fear  of  that. 
If  you'll  say  the  word,  I  will  put  you  in  charge  of  my 
store  at  New  Salem." 

"I'll  say  the  word,  then,"  continued  Abraham,  "if 
we  can  agree  on  the  terms." 

They  did  agree  upon  the  terms,  and,  before  they 
parted  company  at  St.  Louis,  it  was  arranged  to  trans- 
form Abraham  into  a  "storekeeper."  Offutt  had  so 
exalted  an  idea  of  Abraham's  tact  and  ability,  that  he 
was  prepared  to  commit  almost  any  trust  to  his 
keeping.     Abraham    was    to    return    home,    visit    his 


202       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

parents,  and  then  repair  to  New  Salem  to  be  in- 
stalled over  a  country  store. 

At  St.  Louis,  Offutt's  business  made  it  necessary  for 
him  to  separate  from  his  efficient  trio ;  so  Abraham, 
Hanks,  and  Johnston  started  on  foot  for  the  interior  of 
Illinois.  When  they  reached  Edvvardsville,  twenty- 
five  miles  from  St.  Louis,  Hanks  took  the  road  to 
Springfield,  and  Abraham  and  Johnston  took  that  to 
Cole's  County,  whither  Thomas  Lincoln  removed  after 
Abraham  left  home. 

A  few  days  after  Abraham  reached  his  father's 
house  in  Cole's  County,  a  famous  wrestler,  by  the 
name  of  Daniel  Needham,  called  to  see  him.  Need- 
ham  had  heard  of  Abraham's  great  strength,  and 
that  he  was  an  expert  wrestler,  and  he  desired  to 
see  him. 

'*  S'pose  we  try  a  hug,"  suggested  Needham. 

•'  No  doubt  you  can  throw  me,"  answered  Abraham. 
"  You  are  in  practice,  and  I  am  not." 

"Then  you'll  not  try  it.'^"  continued  Needham. 

"  Not  much  sport  in  being  laid  on  my  back,"  was 
Abraham's  evasive  answer. 

"  It  remains  to  be  seen  who  will  lay  on  his  back," 
suggested  Needham.     "S'pose  you  make  the  trial." 

By  persistent  urging  Abraham  finally  consented  to 
meet  Needham,  at  a  specified  place  and  time,  according 
to  the  custom  that  prevailed.  Abraham  was  true  to 
his  promise,  met  the  bully,  and  threw  him  twice  with 
no  great  difficulty. 

Needham  was  both  disappointed  and  chagrined.  His 
pride  was  greatly  humbled  ;  and  his  wrath  was  not  a 
little  exercised. 


ANOTHER    TRIP    TO   NEW  ORLEANS.       203 

"  You  have  thrown  me  twice,  Lincoln,  but  you  can't 
whip  me,"  he  said. 

"I  don't  want  to  whip  you,  whether  I  can  or  not," 
Abraham  replied  magnanimously ;  "  and  I  don't  want 
to  get  whipped;"  and  the  closing  sentence  was  spoken 
jocosely. 

*'Well,  I  stump  you  to  whip  me,"  Needham  cried, 
thinking  that  Lincoln  was  unwilling  to  undertake  it. 
"  Throwing  a  man  is'  one  thing  and  thrashing  him  is 
another." 

"You  are  right,  my  friend  ;  and  I've  no  special  desire 
to  do  either,"  answered  Abraham. 

Needham  continued  to  press  him,  whereupon  Lincoln 
said  :* 

*'  Needham,  are  you  satisfied  that  I  can  throw  you } 
If  you  are  not,  and  must  be  convinced  through  a  thrash- 
ing, I  will  do  that,  too,  for  your  sake.'' 

This  was  putting  the  matter  practically  enough  to 
open  the  bully's  eyes,  which  was  all  Abraham  hoped  to 
accomplish.  He  was  willing  to  show  his  strength  by 
wrestling  to  please  his  companions  and  get  a  little  sport 
out  of  it ;  but  he  despised  a  bully  like  Needham,  and 
considered  such  encounters  for  any  purpose  but  sport 
as  beneath  his  notice.  Needham  put  the  proper  inter- 
pretation upon  Abraham's  words,  and,  considering 
"  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor,"  he  withdrew  as 
gracefully  as  possible. 

We  shall  turn  next  to  Abraham's  success  as  a  coun- 
try merchant. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

IN  A   PIONEER   STORE. 

|BOUT  the  first  of  August,  1831,  Abraham 
met  Offutt  at  New  Salem  as  previously  ar- 
ranged. His  employer  had  collected  a 
quantity  of  goods  at  Beardstown,  awaiting 
transportation.  Until  the  goods  arrived,  Abraham  had 
nothing  to  do,  but  loitered  about  the  town,  then  num- 
bering only  from  twelve  to  fifteen  habitations.  Some 
of  the  people  recognized  him  as  the  ingenious  fellow 
who  engineered  the  boat  over  Rutledge's  dam  a  few 
months  before  ;  and  they  scraped  acquaintance  with 
him  at  once. 

On  the  day  of  the  election  he  was  loitering  about 
the  polling  place,  when  one  of  the  judges  remarked  to 
Minter  Graham,  the  schoolmaster,  "We  are  short  of  a 
clerk  ;  what  shall  we  do  .-*  " 

The  schoolmaster  replied,  "  Perhaps  the  tall  stranger 
yonder  can  write ;  and  maybe  he  will  serve  in  that 
capacity." 

"  Poss'bly,"  responded  the  judge,  as  he  advanced 
towards  Abraham,  and  said  :  — 

**  Can  you  write  .-*  "  It  must  be  remembered  that,  at 
that  time  in  that  region,  many  people  could  neither 


IN  A   PIONEER  STORE.  205 

read  nor  write,  so  that  getting  a  clerk  was  not  an  easy 
matter, 

"Yes,  a  little,"  answered  Abraham. 

"  Will  you  act  as  clerk  of  the  election  to-day  ? " 

"Yes,  I'll  try,"  was  Abraham's  modest  reply.  "I 
will  do  the  best  I  can,  if  you  so  request." 

"Well,  it  will  accommodate  us  very  much  if  you 
will,"  continued  the  judge,  conducting  the  stranger  to 
the  polls.  As  yet,  Abraham  had  not  announced  to  any 
one  that  he  was  soon  to  preside  over  the  store  of  New 
Salem. 

That  he  discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  accept- 
ably on  that  day,  we  have  positive  evidence  ;  for  M in- 
ter Graham,  the  schoolmaster,  who  was  clerk  also, 
says  :  — 

"  He  performed  the  duties  with  great  facility,  much 
fairness  and  honesty  and  impartiality.  This  was  the 
first  official  act  of  his  life.  I  clerked  with  him  on  the 
same  day,  and  at  the  same  polls.  The  election-books 
are  now  in  the  city  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  where  they 
can  be  seen  and  inspected  any  day." 

Dr.  Nelson  of  New  Salem  was  about  to  remove  to 
Texas,  and  had  built  a  flat-boat  on  which  to  convey 
his  goods  and  family  thither.  He  was  ready  to  start 
when  Abraham  was  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  Offutt's 
merchandize.  The  Sangamon  river  was  at  best  a  tur- 
bulent stream,  and  was  then  swollen  to  overflowing, 
so  that  the  doctor  required  a  pilot  to  Beardstown. 
Some  one  suggested  to  him  the  young  fellow  who  took 
the  boat  over  Rutledge's  dam  ;  and  Abraham  was  ac- 
cordingly engaged.  He  piloted  the  flat-boat  success- 
fully to  Beardstown,  although  he  said  the  river  over- 


206       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

flowed  its  banks  so  unprecedentedly  for  that  season  of 
the  year,  that  he  sometimes  floated  over  the  prairie, 
three  miles  from  the  channel.  At  Beardstown  he  re- 
ceived his  pay,  and  left  the  doctor  to  run  down  the 
Illinois  while  he  returned  on  foot  to  New  Salem. 

On  the  arrival  of  Offutt's  merchandize,  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  village  understood  what  the  tall  stranger's 
business  was  in  town.  For  Abraham  proceeded  at 
once  to  unpack  the  goods,  and  arrange  them  for  ex- 
hibition in  the  store.  There  were  groceries,  dry  goods, 
hardwares,  stonewares,  earthenwares,  cups  and  saucers, 
plates,  knives  and  forks,  boots  and  shoes,  coffee,  tea, 
sugar,  molasses,  butter,  gunpowder,  tobacco,  with  other 
articles  too  numerous  to  mention,  including  the  in- 
evitable whiskey,  which  nearly  everybody  except  Abra- 
ham considered  indispensable. 

Within  a  few  days  Abraham  was  well  under  way. 
with  Offutt's  commercial  enterprise.  The  new  goods 
drew  customers,  and  the  new  clerk  attracted  attention. 
He  was  "jokey,"  agreeable  and  social,  "worth  a  dozen 
such  fellers  as  Offutt's  other  man,"  as  one  of  the  citi- 
zens put  it. 

Offutt's  business  elsewhere  did  not  allow  him  to 
remain  at  New  Salem,  though  he  was  there  long 
enough  to  risk  another  venture.  He  leased  the  mill 
of  Cameron  and  Rutledge  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and 
put  it  in  charge  of  Abraham  along  with  the  store.  At 
the  same  time  he  hired  William  G.  Green  for  assistant 
clerk  in  the  store,  that  Abraham  might  divide  his  time 
between  the  two  enterprises. 

Offutt  was  a  great  talker,  and  some  people  said  he 
was   "rattle-brained"   and   "harum-scarum."      But   no 


IN  A    PIONEER  STORE.  20/ 

one  claimed  that  Abraham  was  like  him,  not  even 
Offutt  himself,  for  the  latter  was  wont  to  magnify  the 
abilities  and  fidelity  of  his  clerk  extravagantly.  His 
confidence  in  him  was  well-nigh  boundless,  and  he 
drew  largely  upon  the  dictionary  for  words  to  express 
his  admiration  of  the  new  storekeeper.  He  did  not 
hesitate  to  say,  "  Abe  knows  more  than  any  man  in 
the  United  States."  If  confronted  by  any  one  who 
dared  to  dispute  his  assertion,  he  would  supplement 
his  statement  by  another :  "  Abe  will  be  President  of 
the  United  States  some  time.  Now  remember  what 
I  say."  Between  engineering  the  boat  over  Rutledge's 
dam  and  the  eulogiums  of  Offutt,  Abraham  was  quite 
grandly  introduced  to  the  inhabitants  of  New  Salem. 
It  is  not  strange  that  he  entered  upon  his  labors  there 
with  flying  colors,  causing  the  store  to  become  the 
centre  of  attraction  in  that  township.  New  customers 
were  multiplied,  and  old  ones  became  even  more 
reliable  patrons. 

Then,  in  Illinois,  the  merchant  of  the  town  was 
second  to  no  citizen  in  importance.  Abraham  stepped 
at  once  into  this  position  of  notoriety ;  and  then,  in 
addition,  his  knowledge,  affability,  and  uprightness, 
contributed  to  make  him  a  still  more  important  per- 
sonage. 

"  The  best  feller  we've  had  in  the  store  yet," 
remarked  Jason  Duncan  to  a  companion  named 
Carman  ;  "and  he  knows  a  thing  or  two." 

"  Not  so  much  as  Offutt  thinks  he  does,"  replied 
Carman  ;  "but  it's  fun  to  hear  him  talk." 

"And  he  is  so  accommodating  and  honest;"  con- 
tinued Duncan.     "Mother  says  she'd  trust  him  with 


208       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

anything  because  he's  so  honest.  She  paid  him  a  few 
cents  too  much,  and  he  brought  it  back  to  her." 

**Not  many  on  'em  who'd  do  that,"  replied  Carman. 
**  Every  body  says  that  he  gives  Scriptur'  weight  and 
measure." 

"And  he  is  none  of  your  high-fly  gentry,"  added 
Duncan,  '*if  he  does  keep  store.  He  knows  more  in 
half  an  hour  than  Offutt's  other  man  did  in  a  week." 

"Yes,  and  he's  drawing  customers  that  haven't 
traded  there  before,  just  because  he  does  the  thing 
that  is  right.  Everybody  knows  that  he  won't  lie  nor 
cheat ;  and  they  believe  just  what  he  says,  and  they 
like  to  trade  with  him  on  that  account." 

"  Offutt  was  a  fortunate  man  to  get  him  to  keep  his 
store,"  continued  Duncan.  "It  will  be  money  in  his 
pocket." 

"And  he  seems  to  attend  to  the  business  just  as 
closely  as  he  would  if  it  was  his  own,"  said  Carman ; 
"  he  is  there  early  and  late,  and  he  is  always  reading 
when  he  has  nothing  else  to  do." 

"That's  because  he  is  honest,"  replied  William; 
"a  dishonest  clerk  wouldn't  care  whether  the  busi- 
ness prospered  or  not,  nor  whether  people  were 
pleased  or  not.  Offutt  is  off  so  much  that  he  would 
not  know  whether  a  clerk  was  faithful  or  not,  and 
it's  lucky  for  him  that  he  hit  upon  Abe  as  he  did." 

"And  it's  about  as  lucky  for  us.  I  tell  you  how 
'tis  :  that  store  is  now  just  about  the  best  place  to 
go  to  that  there  is  anywhere  about.  Abe  is  the 
greatest  fellow  on  stories  that  I  ever  heard,  and 
many  of  them  are  real  facts  of  histry.  You  ought  to 
hear   him  tell   about  Washington   and    Franklin  and 


IN  A   PIONEER  STORE.  209 

Clay,  as  he  did  the  other  day.  He  knows  a  heap 
more  about  such  things  than  any  body  about  here." 

Two  or  three  incidents  in  this  place  will  show  what 
reason  existed  for  such  discussions  as  the  foregoing 
concerning  Abraham. 

One  day  he  sold  a  bill  of  goods  to  Mrs.  Duncan, 
amounting  to  two  dollars  and  six  cents.  On  running 
over  his  account  again  in  the  evening,  he  found  that 
Mrs.  Duncan  paid  him  six  cents  too  much.  Imme- 
diately on  closing  the  store  and  locking  the  door  for 
the  night,  he  started  for  Mrs.  Duncan's  house,  more 
than  two  miles  away,  to  carry  the  six  cents  to  her. 
He  slept  better  that  night  for  the  walk  and  honesty. 

On  another  occasion  a  woman  came  into  the  store 
late  in  the  evening,  just  as  he  was  closing,  for  half  a 
pound  of  tea.  The  tea  was  weighed  and  delivered,  and 
he  left  for  the  night.  On  returning  in  the  morning  he 
noticed  a  four-ounce  weight  was  on  the  scales,  instead 
of  an  eight-ounce ;  and  he  knew  at  once  that  he  had 
given  the  customer  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  tea,  instead 
of  a  half  pound.  He  weighed  another  quarter  of  a 
pound,  closed  the  store,  and  delivered  the  tea  to  the 
woman,  before  commencing  the  labors  of  the  day. 
Such  acts  of  uprightness  won  universal  confidence  ; 
and  they  formed  the  subject  of  conversation  in  many 
social  gatherings. 

One  day  a  bully  entered  the  store  when  Abraham 
was  waiting  upon  two  or  three  female  customers.  He 
belched  out  profanity  and  vulgarity,  regardless  of  the 
presence  of  ladies.  Abraham  leaned  over  the  counter, 
and  whispered,  "  Shut  up ;  don't  talk  so  in  the  pres- 
ence of  ladies." 


210       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  fellow  was  too  full  of  whiskey  to  be  suppressed 
in  that  way,  and  he  became  more  profane  and  vulgar 
than  before. 

''I'd  like  to  see  the  man  who'll  stop  me  from  saying 
what  I'm  a  mind  to.  I've  wanted  to  thrash  you  for  a 
long  time." 

Abraham  simply  replied,  "  Wait  until  these  ladies 
have  gone,  and  I'll  satisfy  you." 

The  bully  was  raving ;  and  the  ladies  soon  retired. 
*'Now,"  exclaimed  Abraham,  springing  over  the 
counter,  "we'll  see  whether  you'll  talk  such  stuff  in 
this  store  before  ladies." 

"  Come  on,  long-legs,"  the  bully  shouted. 

"  If  you  must  be  whipped,  I  may  as  well  do  it  as  any 
other  man,"  continued  Abraham,  as  he  collared  the 
fellow,  and  put  him  out  of  doors.  The  bully  grappled 
with  him,  whereupon  Abraham  threw  him  upon  his 
back,  and,  snatching,  a  handful  of  smart-weed,  rubbed 
it  into  his  face  until  the  fellow  bellowed  with  pain,  and 
promised  to  behave.  Then  Abraham  allowed  hirn  to 
get  up ;  and  showed  his  real  kindness  of  heart  by  get- 
ting water  and  washing  his  face,  to  relieve  him  of  his 
distress.  The  outcome  of  this  affair  was,  that  the  bully 
was  a  better  man  himself  from  that  time,  and  be- 
came a  fast  friend  of  Abraham,  who  was  as  much  of  a 
stickler  for  politeness  to  ladies  as  he  was  for  honesty 
to  all. 

M inter  Graham,  the  schoolmaster,  was  very  intimate 
with  Abraham.  He  was  in  the  store  one  day  when 
Abraham  said  to  him  : 

"  I  want  to  study  English  grammar;  I  never  did." 

"You've  not  much    time  for  it,   I   judge,"  replied 


IN  A   PIONEER  STORE.  211 

Graham.     "  Between  mill  and  store,  your  time  is  pretty- 
well  occupied." 

"  Well,  I  have  some  leisure  moments  on  some  days, 
and  can  always  find  time  at  night  when  folks  are  in 
bed." 

"  You  propose  to  turn  night  into  day  .^"  responded 
Graham,  inquiringly.  ''Too  much  of  such  business 
will  wear  you  out.-*" 

"I'll  risk  it  if  I  can  get  a  grammar,"  replied  Abra- 
ham.    *'  The  trouble  is  to  find  a  grammar  about  here." 

"  I  know  where  there  is  one,"  said  Graham. 

''Where.?" 

"  Six  miles  from  here,  at  Vaner's,  is  a  copy  of  Kirk- 
ham's  Grammar." 

"  I'll  buy  or  borrow  it  before  I'm  much  older,"  re- 
marked Abraham.  "The  time  may  come  when  I  may 
want  to  use  it." 

"  If  you  ever  expect  to  go  before  the  public  in  any 
capacity,  it  will  be  a  good  thing  for  you,"  responded 
Graham.  At  this  time,  Graham  had  inferred  from 
certain  remarks  of  Abraham  that  he  was  looking  for- 
ward to  a  more  public  career. 

The  result  of  this  interview  was,  that,  Abraham 
walked  six  miles  and  borrowed  the  grammar,  the  study 
of  which  he  commenced  at  once,  improving  leisure 
moments  in  the  store,  and  sitting  up  late  at  night  to 
pursue  his  task. 

The  grammar  rather  interfered  with  the  good  time 
young  men  had  with  Abraham  in  the  store.  Instead 
of  spending  leisure  moments  in  entertaining  the  com- 
pany, Kirkham's  Grammar  entertained  him.  Lamon 
says,  "  Sometimes  when  business  was  not  particularly 


212       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

brisk,  he  would  lie  under  a  shade-tree  in  front  of  the 
store,  and  pore  over  the  book ;  at  other  times,  a  cus- 
tomer would  find  him  stretched  on  the  counter  intently 
engaged  the  same  way.  But  the  store  was  a  bad  place 
for  study ;  and  he  was  often  seen  quietly  slipping  out 
of  the  village,  as  if  he  wished  to  avoid  observation, 
when,  if  successful  in  getting  off  alone,  he  would  spend 
hours  in  the  woods,  'mastering  a  book,'  or  in  a  state 
of  profound  abstraction.  He  kept  up  his  old  habit  of 
sitting  up  late  at  night ;  but,  as  lights  were  as  neces- 
sary to  his  purpose  as  they  were  expensive,  the  village 
cooper  permitted  him  to  sit  in  his  shop,  where  he 
burnt  the  shavings,  and  kept  a  blazing  fire  to  read  by, 
when  every  one  else  was  in  bed.  The  Greens  lent  him 
books ;  the  schoolmaster  gave  him  instructions  in  the 
store,  on  the  road,  or  in  the  meadows  ;  every  visitor  to 
New  Salem  who  made  the  least  pretensions  to  scholar- 
ship was  waylaid  by  Abe,  and  required  to  explain 
something  which  he  could  not  understand.  The  result 
of  it  all  was,  that  the  village  and  the  surrounding  coun- 
try wondered  at  his  growth  in  knowledge,  and  he  soon 
became  as  famous  for  the  goodness  of  his  understand- 
ing as  for  the  muscular  power  of  his  body,  and  the 
unfailing  humor  of  his  talk." 

Kirkham's  Grammar  appears  to  have  given  him  a 
new  impulse  after  knowledge  ;  and  his  companions  felt 
that  they  lost  considerable  enjoyment  in  consequence. 
Some  of  them  had  a  poor  opinion  of  Kirkham. 

"  Studying  grammar,  yet,"  remarked  Alley  in  a  con- 
temptuous way. 

**  Yes ;  I  want  to  know  something  about  it.  I  never 
did." 


IN  A    PIONEER  STORE.  213 

"Nor  I,  and  that  ain't  the  worst  on't;"  and  Alley 
laughed  as  he  said  it. 

"Well,  I  intend  to  know  a  little  of  it,"  added  Abra- 
ham. "  It  is  rather  dry,  but  I  am  determined  to  master 
it,  if  I  can.  I  want,  at  least,  to  discover  whether  I  am 
a  common  noun  or  not." 

"You're  an  uncommon  noun,  Abe,"  said  Alley, 
meaning  to  compliment  his  friend,  at  the  same  time 
that  he  got  off  a  pun. 

"  Your  word  for  it." 

"  Of  course,  my  word  for  it.  But  I  am  quite  sure 
that  if  there  is  anything  in  that  book,  you  will  get  it 
out." 

"  But  really.  Alley,  this  is  a  very  important  study, 
and  I  think  that  every  one  ought  to  understand  it,  if 
they  can." 

"  Not  many  know  anything  about  it." 

"  And  that  does  not  prove  that  it  is  useless.  There 
are  a  great  many  things  of  importance  that  many 
people  know  nothing  about." 

"  That's  so  ;  but  most  people  have  got  along  without 
it.  My  father  and  mother  never  studied  it  in  their 
lives,  and  I  never  did,  and  we've  got  along  well  enough 
so  far  without  it." 

"  Perhaps  you  would  have  got  along  better  with  it. 
I've  learned  enough  already  to  be  of  great  service  to 
me,  and  I  intend  to  know  more  yet." 

"But  it  is  only  a  little  time  that  you  get  here,"  sug- 
gested Alley.  "Just  as  you  get  at  it  somebody  comes. 
I  don't  think  much  of  that." 

"We  don't  all  think  alike,"  responded  Abraham. 

"  That's  a  fact ;  I'm  pretty  sure  that  if  you  thought 


214       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

as  I  do,  you  wouldn't  be  troubling  your  brains  over 
that  grammar." 

''Perhaps  nobody  else  would,  and  the  'King's  Eng- 
lish' would  be  shockingly  murdered.  We  should 
have  another  Babel  almost." 

"How's  that.^  For  the  life  of  me,  I  can't  see  any 
particular  good  that  comes  of  studying  grammar." 

"That  is  because  you  do  not  know  even  the  defini- 
tion of  it,"  replied  Abraham.  "Grammar  is  the  art 
of  speaking  and  writing  the  English  language  with 
propriety.     And  that  shows  what  good  it  does." 

"  Perhaps  it  does." 

"  Of  course  it  does,  whether  you  can  see  it  or  not ; 
and  I  am  willing  to  study  for  it  by  day  and  night." 

"  I  should  think  it  was  about  enough  to  study  by 
day,  and  let  the  nights  go,"  said  Alley,  demurely. 

"There  is  where  we  don't  think  alike  again.  It 
would  take  me  a  long  time  to  master  this  grammar, 
if  I  should  study  only  by  leisure  moments  in  the 
daytime.  I  have  used  up  from  two  to  three  hours 
over  it  every  night." 

"Just  like  you,  Abe." 

"Just  like  every  poor  fellow  like  me,  who  must  do 
so,  or  know  little  or  nothing.  Dr.  Franklin  carried  a 
book  in  his  pocket,  to  study  when  he  could,  and  he 
kept  one  by  his  side  in  the  printing-office  to  read 
every  minute  he  had  to  spare." 

"How  do  you  know  that.?  Were  you  there .? "  and 
Alley's  roguishness  appeared  in  his  expressive  eye. 

"Probably,"  answered  Abraham,  in  the  same  vein 
of  remark. 

"But  did  you  ever  read  the  Life  of  Dr.  Franklin?" 


IN  A   PIONEER  STORE.  21 5 

"Certainly,  several  years  ago  ;  and  if  he  had  not 
done  just  what  you  think  is  quite  foolish,  he  would 
have  made  candles  all  his  life." 

*'And  that  would  be  shedding /?^///  on  the  world, 
I'm  sure,"  said  Alley,  with  an  attempt  at  punning. 
"Lucky  that  somebody  was  willing  to  make  candles." 

But  no  bantering  or  pleas  for  sport  could  separate 
Abraham  from  his  grammar.  Kirkham  was  his  boon 
companion  in  a  more  important  sense  than  Green, 
Duncan,  Alley,  Carman,  Herndon,  and  all  the  rest  of 
the  New  Salem  associates. 

It  became  customary  for  the  citizens  to  take  their 
visitors  over  to  Offutt's  store  to  introduce  them  to 
Abraham,  of  whom  the  whole  village  were  proud. 
Richard  Yates  came  to  town  to  visit  friends,  and  they 
took  him  over  to  the  store  to  make  Abraham's 
acquaintance.  This  was  the  Richard  Yates,  who, 
subsequently,  became  famous  as  a  public  man.  He 
became  Governor  of  Illinois  when  Abraham  became 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  did  noble  service 
for  the  country  in  conquering  the  "Southern  Re- 
bellion." Abraham  was  soon  engaged  in  close  con- 
versation upon  various  subjects,  and  while  they  were 
talking,  Alley  and  Yates'  friend  left. 

The  dinner-time  arrived  before  they  were  aware 
that  nearly  an  hour  had  passed  since  they  were  in- 
troduced to  each  other.  Abraham  invited  his  new 
acquaintance  to  dine  with  him,  and  they  proceeded 
to  the  house  where  he  boarded — a  low,  rough,  log- 
house. 

"  Aunt  Lizzie,"  said  Abraham,  "  I  have  brought 
some  company  home  to  dinner." 


2l6       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I'm  glad  of  it,  Abe,  if  you'll  take  me  as  you  find 
me,"  replied  the  old  lady,  addressing  her  remark 
partly  to  Abraham,  and  partly  to  the  visitor. 

"  No  apologies  are  necessary,"  said  Yates. 

*'  No,  none  at  all,"  added  Abraham. 

The  dinner  was  on  the  table,  and  it  was  a  very 
plain  one.  There  was  plenty  of  bread,  and  milk 
enough  for  the  company,  and  the  addition  of  an- 
other bowl  and  spoon  provided  a  dinner  for  visitor 
and  all. 

There  were  quite  a  number  of  members  of  the  family, 
boarders  and  children,  and  the  aged  matron  waited 
upon  the  table,  pouring  the  milk,  and  passing  a 
brimming  bowl  to  each.  When  Abraham  was  waited 
upon,  by  some  mishap,  his  bowl  slipped  and  rolled 
over  upon  the  floor,  dashing  it  to  pieces,  and  covering 
the  floor  with  its  contents. 

*'  O  dear  me !  "  exclaimed  the  old  lady,  in  great 
trouble  ;  **  that  was  all  my  fault." 

**  Perhaps  not,"  said  Abraham. 

"  It  surely  was,"  she  answered.  "  I  am  so  care- 
less." 

"  Well,  Aunt  Lizzie,  we'll  not  discuss  whose  fault 
it  is,"  continued  Abraham  ;  "  only  if  it  don't  trouble 
you,  it  don't  trouble  me." 

"  That's  you,  Abe,  sure,"  replied  Aunt  Lizzie. 
"You're  ready  to  comfort  a  body." 

''A  very  good  trait,"  said  Yates,  who  was  both 
amused  and  enlightened  by  the  accident. 

"  Never  mind,  Aunt  Lizzie,"  continued  Abraham, 
"  you  have  the  worst  of  it ;  but  I  am  really  sorry  that 
your  bowl  is  broken.     I  don't  care  so  much  for  the 


IN  A    PIONEER  STORE.  21/ 

milk,  as  there  is  plenty  more  where  that  came  from. 
Much  worse  things  happen  sometimes." 

By  this  time  Aunt  Lizzie  had  another  bowl  filled  for 
Abraham,  and  the  company  proceeded  to  eat  their 
dinner,  while  the  old  lady  gathered  up  the  fragments 
of  the  broken  bowl,  and  wiped  up  the  floor. 

Here  Abraham  exhibited  a  trait  of  character  for 
which  he  was  distinguished  from  boyhood.  He  dis- 
liked to  make  trouble  for  any  one,  and  wanted  to  see 
all  persons  at  ease.  Hence  he  was  accommodating, 
never  disposed  to  find  fault,  inclined  to  overlook  the 
mistakes  and  foibles  of  others.  Also,  his  readiness 
to  assist  the  needy,  and  comfort  the  distressed  and 
unfortunate,  proceeded  in  part  from  this  quality. 
It  was  made  up  of  gentlemanly  bearing,  affability, 
generosity,  and  a  true  regard  for  the  welfare  and 
happiness  of  others.  A  rare  character  is  this,  though 
it  is  always  needed,  and  is  popular  wherever  it  is 
appreciated. 

We  were  absorbed  in  the  discussion  of  Abraham 
and  Alley  about  the  grammar,  and  were  inter- 
rupted by  the  arrival  of  Yates,  in  consequence  of 
which  the  conversation  was  broken  off.  We  will  only 
add,  that  Abraham  became  a  very  good  grammarian 
by  dint  of  perseverance.  He  did  not  cast  aside  the 
old  grammar  until  he  had  mastered  it,  and  it  was  all 
accomplished  while  he  was  the  most  faithful  clerk 
that  the  store  at  New  Salem  ever  had.  He  found 
time  enough  at  odd  moments  during  the  day,  and 
took  enough  out  of  his  sleeping  hours  at  night, 
within  the  space  of  a  few  months,  to  acquire  all  the 
knowledge  of  grammar  that  he  ever  possessed. 


2l8       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

We  should  say,  however,  that  his  companion, 
WilHam  Green,  rendered  him  assistance  in  this 
study.  Wilham  had  some  knowledge  of  grammar, 
and  he  cheerfully  aided  Abraham  all  that  he  could. 
The  latter  always  said  that  William  taught  him 
grammar,  although  William  still  affirms  "that  he 
seemed  to  master  it,  as  it  were,  by  intuition." 

It  is  probable  that  Kirkham's  Grammar  laid  the 
foundation,  in  part,  of  Abraham's  future  character. 
It  taught  him  the  rudiments  of  his  native  language, 
and  thus  opened  the  golden  gate  of  knowledge. 
There  is  much  in  his  experience  at  this  point  to 
remind  us  of  that  of  Alexander  Murray,  the  world- 
renowned  linguist.  His  father  was  too  poor  to  send 
him  to  school,  or  to  provide  him  with  books.  The 
Bible,  and  a  catechism  containing  the  alphabet,  were 
all  the  volumes  in  the  family,  and  the  latter  Alex- 
ander was  not  allowed  to  see  except  on  the  Sabbath. 
During  the  week  his  father  would  draw  the  letters  on 
the  back  of  an  old  wool-card  "  with  the  black  end  of 
an  extinguished  heather-stem  or  root,  snatched  from 
the  fire."  In  this  way  he  learned  the  alphabet,  and 
became  a  reader.  At  twelve  years  of  age  a  friend 
presented  him  with  a  copy  of  Salmon's  Grammar, 
which  he  mastered  in  an  incredibly  short  period ;  and 
here  commenced  his  progress  in  earnest.  He  bor- 
rowed a  Latin  grammar  and  mastered  it.  Then  a 
French  grammar  was  studied  with  success.  Then  the 
Greek  was  taken  in  hand,  and  thus  on  till  all  the 
Oriental  and  Northern  languages  were  familiar  to 
him.  And  the  study  of  Salmon's  Grammar  laid  the 
foundation  for  all  this.     That  was  the  key  to  the  vast 


IN  A    PIONEER  STORE.  219 

treasures  of  knowledge  that  were  opened  before  him. 
By  making  himself  master  of  that,  he  unlocked  the 
temple  of  wisdom. 

And  so  the  grammar  that  Abraham  studied  ex- 
erted a  great  influence  upon  his  character  and 
destiny. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 
STILLACLERK. 

|HERE  was  a  ''gang  "  of  young  and  middle- 
aged  men  in  New  Salem,  called  the  '*  Clary 
Grove  Boys,"  who  had  become  a  terror  to 
the  people.  They  were  never  more  flour- 
ishing than  they  were  when  Abraham  became  a  citizen 
of  the  town.  They  prided  themselves  upon  their 
strength  and  courage,  and  had  an  established  custom 
of  "  initiating  "  new  comers  of  the  male  sex  by  giving 
them  a  flogging.  Perhaps  they  were  no  more  ma- 
licious than  a  class  of  college  students  who  perform 
similar  operations  upon  Freshmen,  though  they  were 
rougher  and  more  immoral.  Such  "  gangs  "  existed 
in  different  parts  of  the  West  at  that  time,  a  coalition 
of  ignorance,  rowdyism  and  brute  force.  One  writer 
says  of  the  "  Clary  Grove  Boys  "  :  — 

"  Although  there  never  was  under  the  sun  a  more 
generous  parcel  of  ruffians,  a  stranger's  introduction 
was  likely  to  be  the  most  unpleasant  part  of  his  ac- 
quaintance with  them.  In  fact,  one  of  the  objects  of 
their  association  was  to  '  initiate  or  naturalize  new- 
comers,' as  they  termed  the  amiable  proceedings 
which  they   took  by  way  of  welcoming  any  one  am- 


STILL   A    CLERK.  221 

bitious  of  admittance  to  the  society  of  New  Salem. 
They  first  bantered  the  gentleman  to  run  a  foot-race, 
jump,  pitch  the  mall,  or  wrestle  ;  and  if  none  of  these 
propositions  seemed  agreeable  to  him,  they  would  re- 
quest to  know  what  he  would  do  in  case  another  gen- 
tleman should  pull  his  nose  or  squirt  tobacco-juice  in 
his  face.  If  he  did  not  seem  entirely  decided  in  his 
views  as  to  what  should  properly  be  done  in  such  a 
contingency,  perhaps  he  would  be  nailed  in  a  hogs- 
head and  rolled  down  New  Salem  hill ;  perhaps  his 
ideas  would  be  brightened  by  a  brief  ducking  in  the 
Sangamon  ;  or  perhaps  he  would  be  scoffed,  kicked 
and  cuffed  by  a  number  of  persons  in  concert,  until 
he  reached  the  confines  of  the  village,  and  then  turned 
adrift  as  being  unfit  company  for  the  people  of  that 
settlement.  If,  however,  the  stranger  consented  to 
engage  in  a  tussle  with  one  of  his  persecutors,  it  was 
usually  arranged  that  there  should  be  'foul  play,'  with 
nameless  impositions  and  insults,  which  would  inevi- 
tably change  the  affair  into  a  fight  ;  and  then  if  the 
subject  of  all  these  practices  proved  to  be  a  man  of 
mettle,  he  would  be  promptly  received  into  their 
society,  and  in  all  probability  would  never  have  better 
friends  on  earth  than  the  roystering  fellows  who  had 
contrived  his  torments." 

These  "  ruffians  "  had  not  "  initiated  "  Abraham 
for  some  reason.  Perhaps  a  wholesome  recollection 
of  his  strength,  courage  and  tact  in  engineering  the 
boat  over  Rutledge's  dam,  or  the  extravagant  state- 
ments of  Offutt  concerning  his  marvellous  achieve- 
ments, had  restrained  them.  At  any  rate  they  did 
not    molest  him,  until  one  day,  when  Bill   Clary  had 


222       PIONEER  HOME   TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

a  dispute  with  Offutt  in  his  store,  and  both  became 
exasperated.     Bill  exclaimed : 

"Jack  Armstrong  can  lick  Abe  easy  as  a  boy  knows 
his  father."  Jack  was  the  strongest  man  of  the 
"  gang,"  and  perhaps  the  most  ignorant. 

"  You  don't  know  what  you  are  talking  about.  Bill," 
retorted  Offutt  ;  "■  he  could  duck  the  whole  Clary 
Grove  crew  in  the  Sangamon,  before  Jack  Armstrong 
could  get  up  after  he'd  laid  him  on  his  back." 

**  I'll  bet  ten  dollars  on  that,"  shouted  Bill.  *'  The 
fact  is,  Abe  wouldn't  dare  to  risk  a  fight  with  Jack." 

"  The  whole  of  you  are  blowers  and  cowards,"  re- 
sponded Offutt,  angrily.  "■  There's  more  in  Abe's 
little  finger  than  the  whole  of  you  have  got  in  your 
soul  and  body." 

The  knowledge  of  this  hot  interview  spread  like 
wildfire,  and  the  "  Clary  Grove  boys  "  would  not  con- 
sent to  peace  any  longer.  "  Jack  Armstrong  must 
wrestle  with  Abe,"  and  settle  the  vital  question  with 
"  ruffians."  They  proposed  all  sorts  of  bets,  staking 
money,  whiskey  and  what  not  upon  the  issue. 

Soon  the  proposition  from  the  "  Clary  Grove  Boys  " 
came  direct  to  Abraham,  and  he  answered  : 

"I  must  decline  such  a  trial  with  Jack." 

"Then  you  are  not  the  man  to  live  in  New  Salem 
longer,"  shouted  one. 

"  Perhaps  not,"  replied  Abraham,  with  a  quizzical 
look,  as  if  he  meant  to  say,  "that  is  none  of  your 
business." 

"  We'll  duck  you  in  the  Sangamon,"  exclaimed  an- 
other. 

"  Whether  you  do  or  not,"  answered  Abe,  "  I  tell 


STILL   A    CLERK.  223 


you  that  I  never  tussle  and  scuffle,  and  I  will  not.  I 
don't  like  this  wooUing  and  pulling." 

"Don't,  hey!"  shouted  one  of  the  number,  at  the 
same  time  pulling  Abe's  nose. 

"  Be  careful ;  not  too  familiar,"  said  Abraham  in  a 


warnmg  manner. 


Thus  the  provocations  were  multiplied  until  Abra- 
ham, seeing  that  the  only  way  of  settling  the  difficulty 
was  to  lay  Jack  upon  his  back,  consented  to  wrestling. 
They  took  side  holds;  and  presently  Abraham,  having 
the  advantage  by  reason  of  his  long  legs  and  arms, 
lifted  Jack  completely  from  the  ground,  and,  swinging 
him  about,  thought  to  lay  him  on  his  back,  but  Jack 
came  down  upon  his  feet  squarely  and  firmly. 

"  Now,  Jack,"  said  Abraham,  "  let's  quit ;  I  can't 
throw  you,  and  you  can't  throw  me." 

"  No,  Jack,  don't  give  up,"  shouted  Bill  Clary ; 
"Abe's  begging  for  quarter  now."  Bill  supposed 
that  Abraham's  courage  was  failing  him,  or  else  it  was 
the  plan  of  the  gang  to  play  foul.  Be  this  as  it  may. 
Jack  at  once  broke  his  hold  and  adopted  the  unfair 
method  of  "legging,"  whereupon  Abraham  seized  him 
by  the  throat,  and  lifting  him  from  the  ground,  and 
holding  him  at  arm's  length,  shook  him  like  a  child. 
The  astonished  ruffians  saw  that  their  champion  was 
worsted,  and  they  cried  :  — 

"Fight,  Jack,  fight!" 

No  doubt  all  of  them  would  have  attacked  Abraham 
had  Jack  led  off.  But  the  latter  saw  little  encourage- 
ment in  continuing  a  contest  with  a  man  who  could 
hold  him  out  at  arm's  length  by  the  throat ;  and  the 
moment  Abraham  relinquished  his  hold.  Jack  grasped 


224       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

his  hand  in  friendship,  and  declared  that  *'  Abe  was  the 
the  best  feller  that  ever  broke  into  their  settlement." 
Their  friendship  became  almost  like  that  of  David  and 
Jonathan  ;  and  from  that  moment  the  sway  of  the 
*'  Clary  Grove  Boys  "  was  broken  in  New  Salem.  Abra- 
ham did  not  hesitate  to  denounce  their  acts  publicly ; 
and  others  soon  joined  him  in  open  hostility  to  such 
ruffianism.  The  result  was,  that  the  gang  gradually 
faded  out,  and  quite  a  number  of  them  became  respect- 
able citizens.  Abraham's  great  strength  and  kindness 
of  heart  did  more  to  reform  the  scoundrels  than  a 
missionary  from  New  England  could  have  done. 

Everybody  now  became  as  enthusiastic  over  Abra- 
ham as  Offutt  was. 

"I  told  you  so,"  said  the  latter.  'Tve  seen  some- 
thing of  the  world,  and,  I  tell  you,  his  like  I  never  saw." 

There  was  no  one  to  dispute  Offutt  now.  There 
was  an  end  to  all  riotous  proceedings ;  for  Abraham 
declared  that  such  ruffianly  conduct  should  be  stopped, 
and  some  of  the  citizens  were  bold  enough  to  back 
him.  Even  Jack  Armstrong  promised  him  assistance. 
Abraham's  influence  became  regnant  in  New  Salem. 
He  was  even  appealed  to  by  neighbors  to  settle  diffi- 
culties, so  that  he  wore  the  honors  of  ''peacemaker" 
in  Illinois  as  he  did  in  Indiana. 

It  was  in  New  Salem  that  Abraham  won  the  soubri- 
quet "  Honest  Abe,"  which  he  carried  through  life. 
The  public  confidence  in  his  integrity  and  fairminded- 
ness  was  such  that  he  was  usually  chosen  for  umpire 
in  all  games  and  trials  where  two  sides  enlisted.  And 
finally,  he  became  in  so  great  demand  in  this  line,  that 
both  sides,  in  those  friendly  contests,  made  him  judge. 


STILL  A    CLERK.  225 

An  incident  illustrates  how  strong  a  friend  Jack 
Armstrong  became  to  Abraham.  A  stranger  came 
into  town,  and  he  proved  to  be  a  kind  of  bully,  and  got 
into  a  difficulty  with  Jack. 

*'  You  are  a  coward  and  a  liar,"  said  Jack. 

"  You'll  find  out  whether  I  am  or  not,"  exclaimed 
the  stranger. 

"  You're  a  coward  and  a  liar,  I  say,"  shouted  Jack, 
more  loudly  and  defiantly,  while  the  stranger  backed 
towards  a  wood-pile  as  Jack  advanced. 

Before  Jack  perceived  the  purpose  of  the  stranger, 
the  latter  seized  a  stick  of  wood,  and  struck  him  such 
a  blow  as  to  bring  him  to  the  ground.  Jack  recovered 
himself  in  a  moment,  and  was  about  to  leap  upon  his 
antagonist,  when  Abraham,  who  was  near,  interfered, 
saying,  — 

*'  I  wouldn't,  Jack  ;  it  won't  do  you  any  good." 

"  I'll  thrash  the  rascal,"  retorted  Jack  with  wrath. 

"No,  Jack;  we've  done  with  that  kind  of  business 
in  New  Salem,  you  know,"  Abraham  continued. 

*' But  he  insulted  me." 

*'  And  what  did  you  say  to  him  .^"  inquired  Abraham. 
The  question  mollified  Jack's  wrath  somewhat,  for  he 
began  to  get  his  eyes  open. 

*'  I  called  him  a  coward  and  a  liar,"  replied  Jack. 

*'  Well,  suppose  you  were  a  stranger,  in  a  strange 
place,  and  a  man  should  call  you  a  coward  and  a  liar, 
what  would  you  do  .'^  " 

"  Thrash  him  terribly,"  answered  Jack. 

"  Then  this  man  has  done  no  more  to  you  than  you 
would  have  done  to  him,"  suggested  Abraham. 

"  That's  so,"  responded  Jack,  as  if  he  saw  the  point 


226       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

clearly.  **  It's  all  right,  Abe."  And  turning  to  the 
stranger,  he  added,  **  Give  us  your  hand  ; "  and  suiting 
the  action  to  his  words,  he  took  the  hand  of  the 
stranger,  and  declared  himself  a  friend,  supplementing 
his  pledge  of  friendship  with  an  invitation  to  **  take  a 
drink,"  according  to  the  custom  of  the  "Clary  Grove 
Boys." 

Offutt  came  into  the  store  one  afternoon  perplexed 
as  to  the"  disposition  of  a  large  drove  of  hogs  he  had 
purchased.  He  had  no  pen  large  enough  to  contain 
them. 

**  Build  one,"  said  Abraham  promptly. 

*'Too  much  work;  take  too  long,"  replied  Offutt. 

"  It's  more  work  to  be  without  a  pen  when  you  need 
a  larger  one,"  was  Abraham's  suggestive  answer. 

"  Can't  get  anybody  to  build  it,"  continued  Offutt. 

*'  I  can  build  it  myself,"  said  Abraham. 

"  What  can't  you  do  }  "  answered  Offutt. 

"There  are  a  great  many  things  I  can't  do;  but  I 
can  build  a  pig-pen,"  Abraham  replied  with  a  smile. 

"  Well,  go  at  it,  then,  and  I'll  help  William  about 
the  store  and  look  after  the  mill,"  was  Offutt's  quick 
decision. 

Abraham  went  into  the  woods  and  cut  down  the 
trees,  and  split  rails  enough  to  make  a  pen  sufficiently 
large  to  hold  a  thousand  hogs. 

During  the  time  that  Abraham  served  Offutt,  he 
attended  a  debating  club.     Dr.  Holland  says  :  — 

"  During  this  year  he  was  also  much  engaged  with 
debating  clubs,  often  walking  six  or  seven  miles  to 
attend  them.  One  of  these  clubs  held  its  meetings 
at  an  old  store-house  in  New  Salem.     He  used  to  call 


STILL   A    CLERK.  22/ 


these  exercises  'practising  polemics.'  As  these  clubs 
were  composed  principally  of  men  of  no  education 
whatever,  some  of  their  'polemics'  are  remembered 
as  the  most  laughable  of  farces.  His  favorite  news- 
paper, at  this  time,  was  the  Louisville y(9?^r;/<^/,  a  paper 
which  he  received  regularly  by  mail,  and  paid  for  dur- 
ing a  number  of  years  when  he  had  not  money  enough 
to  dress  decently.  He  liked  its  politics,  and  was  par- 
ticularly delighted  with  its  wit  and  humor,  of  which 
he  had  the  keenest  appreciation.  When  out  of  the 
store  he  was  always  busy  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge. 
One  gentleman,  who  met  him  during  this  period,  says 
that  the  first  time  he  saw  him  he  was  lying  on  a 
trundle-bed,  covered  with  books  and  papers,  and  rock- 
ing a  cradle  with  his  foot.  Of  the  amount  of  uncov- 
ered space  between  the  extremities  of  his  trousers  and 
the  top  of  his  socks  which  this  informant  observed, 
there  shall  be  no  mention.  The  whole  scene,  how- 
ever, was  entirely  characteristic  —  Lincoln  reading  and 
studying,  and  at  the  same  time  helping  his  landlady 
by  quieting  her  child." 

The  question  whether  the  Sangamon  river  was 
navigable  or  not  had  been  under  discussion  several 
years,  and  reached  the  crisis  while  Abraham  was  in 
the  employ  of  Offutt,  or  just  after  he  closed  his  labors 
for  him. 

''The  'Talisman'  is  chartered  for  the  experiment," 
said  a  citizen  of  New  Salem  to  Abraham ;  "and  you 
ought  to  be  her  captain." 

"  It  will  take  a  man  of  more  experience  than  I  have 
had  to  run  her  up  the  river,"  was  Abraham's  modest 
answer. 


228        PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

''  Well,  there's  nobody  here  that  understands  the 
business  better  than  you  do,"  continued  the  citizen. 
"  Will  you  undertake  if  you  are  wanted  ?" 

**  I'll  try,  and  do  the  best  I  can,"  was  Abraham's 
characteristic  reply.  "  I  have  tried  this  river  consid- 
erably with  a  flat-boat." 

*'  That  is  what  I  thought,  and  for  that  reason  you 
ought  to  pilot  the  '  Talisman '  ;  and  I  think  that  is  the 
general  opinion." 

"  I  am  willing  to  undertake  it  if  it  is  thought  best," 
Abraham  added. 

The  result  was  that  he  was  sent,  with  others,  to 
meet  the  steamer  at  Beardstown,  and  pilot  her  up. 
There  was  great  excitement  over  the  experiment,  and 
the  inhabitants  came  from  far  and  near  to  witness  the 
trial  from  the  banks  of  the  river.  Abraham  took  his 
place  at  the  helm,  and  piloted  her  with  comparative 
ease  and  safety  as  far  as  the  New  Salem  dam,  the 
people  gathered  upon  the  banks  of  the  river  frequently 
cheering  at  the  top  of  their  voices.  Here  it  was  neces- 
sary to  remove  a  part  of  the  dam  to  let  the  steamer 
through.  She  ran  up  to  Bogue's  mill,  when  the 
rapidly  falling  water  admonished  the  successful  cap- 
tain that  she  must  be  turned  down  stream  or  be  left 
there  for  the  season.  No  time  was  lost  in  beginning 
the  return  trip,  which  was  accomplished  at  the  slow  rate 
of  three  or  four  miles  a  day,  "  on  account  of  the  high 
wind  from  the  prairie."  J.  R.  Herndon  was  sent  for, 
and  he  says :  "  I  was  sent  for,  being  an  old  boatman, 
and  I  met  her  some  twelve  or  thirteen  miles  above 
New  Salem.  .  .  .  We  got  to  Salem  the  second  day 
after  I  went  on  board.     When  we  struck  the  dam  she 


STILL  A    CLERK.  229 


hung.  We  then  backed  off,  and  threw  the  anchor 
over  the  dam,  and  tore  away  part  of  the  dam ; 
then,  raising  steam,  ran  her  over  the  first  trial. 
As  soon  as  she  was  over,  the  company  that  char- 
tered her  was  done  with  her.  I  think  the  captain 
gave  Lincoln  forty  dollars  to  run  her  down  to  Beards- 
town.  I  am  sure  I  got  forty  dollars  to  continue  on 
her  until  we  landed  at  Beardstown.  We  that  went 
with  her  walked  back  to  New  Salem." 

While  Abraham  was  in  the  employ  of  Offutt,  the 
latter  made  some  unprofitable  ventures,  by  reason  of 
which  he  became  pecuniarily  embarrassed.  His  mill 
enterprise  did  not  prove  as  successful  as  he  anticipated, 
and  other  speculations  left  him  considerably  out  of 
pocket.  Fortune  ceased  to  smile  upon  any  of  his 
enterprises,  and  his  difficulties  multiplied  from  week 
to  week,  until  he  failed,  closed  his  store,  shut  down  his 
mill,  and  left  Abraham  without  employment.  It  was, 
however,  a  period  of  very  great  advancement  to 
Abraham.  He  had  acquired  much  knowledge  of  mer- 
cantile business,  had  become  familiar  with  grammar, 
had  read  many  books,  made  many  friends,  and  im- 
proved himself  generally.  Dr.  Holland  says,  that, 
when  he  terminated  his  labors  for  Offutt,  "  every  one 
trusted  him.  He  was  judge,  arbitrator,  referee, 
umpire,  authority  in  all  disputes,  games  and  matches 
of  man-flesh  and  horse-flesh  ;  a  pacificator  in  all  quar- 
rels ;  everybody's  friend ;  the  best-natured,  the  most 
sensible,  the  best-informed,  the  most  modest  and  un- 
assuming, the  kindest,  gentlest,  roughest,  strongest, 
best  young  fellow  in  all  New  Salem  and  the  region 
round  about." 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

« 

ON    THE    WAR-PATH. 

HE  Black  Hawk  War  was  causing  great 
excitement  in  Illinois  and  other  Western 
states  when  Abraham  closed  his  labors  with 
Offutt.  Not  long  afterward,  the  Governor 
of  Illinois  called  for  four  regiments  of  volunteers. 

"  I  shall  enlist,"  said  Abraham  to  his  intimate  friend 
and  companion,  William  Green,  as  soon  as  the  news 
reached  New  Salem. 

"I  shall  if  you  do,"  responded  William. 

''Well,  I  shall  do  it,  honest.  Nothing  else  on  hand 
now.  Besides,  Black  Hawk  is  one  of  the  most  treacher- 
ous Indians  on  the  footstool,  and  he  ought  to  be  shot. 
It  is  not  more  than  a  year  ago,  and  hardly  that,  that  he 
entered  into  a  treaty ;  and  he  was  to  keep  his  people 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Mississippi,  and  now  he  has 
crossed  to  make  war  on  the  whites." 

"Real  Indian,  that  is,"  continued  William;  "the 
only  way  to  deal  with  an  Indian  is  to  shoot  him." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that ;  it's  the  only  way  to  treat 
Black  Hawk,  though, — a  cunning,  artful  warrior,  who 
is  in  his  element  when  he  can  massacre  the  whites," 
added  Abraham. 


ON  THE  WAR-PATH.  23 1 

"They  expect  to  make  short  work  of  it,  or  the 
governor  would  have  called  for  volunteers  for  more 
than  thirty  days,"  suggested  William. 

"  They  may  call  for  them  again  after  the  expiration 
of  thirty  days,  and  the  same  volunteers  may  re-enlist. 
I  shall  enlist  for  the  war,  whether  it  is  thirty  days  or 
thirty  months."  Abraham  meant  just  what  he  said,  as 
the  sequel  will  show. 

"Clary  Grove  Boys"  were  now  the  fast  friends  of 
Abraham,  and  all  were  eager  to  enlist  with  him.  Other 
young  men,  and  older  men,  also,  were  ready  for  the  war. 
In  consequence  of  the  general  interest  awakened,  Abra- 
ham said :  — 

"We  can  raise  a  company  in  New  Salem." 

"True  as  you  live,"  answered  Herndon. 

"  We  must  be  about  it  in  a  hurry  if  we  are  going  to 
do  it,"  remarked  Green. 

The  whole  town  became  fired  with  military  ardor,  in 
consequence  of  Abraham's  leadership,  and  the  result 
was  that  a  recruiting  office  was  opened  in  New  Salem. 
Within  a  few  days  the  company  was  full,  Abraham 
being  the  first  to  enlist ;  and  the  choice  of  officers 
became  the  exciting  topic.  However,  the  officers  were 
not  elected  at  New  Salem  ;  but  the  volunteers  marched 
to  Bushville,  in  Schuyler  County,  where  the  election 
took  place. 

There  were  only  two  candidates  for  captain,  Abra- 
ham and  Fitzpatrick,  the  owner  of  the  saw-mill  at 
Spring  Creek.  He  sawed  the  lumber  for  Abraham 
when  he  built  the  boat  for  Offutt,  and  treated  his 
customer  rudely.  Fitzpatrick  was  a  popular  man,  but 
there  was  a  small  show  for  him  in  a  race  with  Abraham. 


-0- 


The  method  of  electing  captain  was  peculiar  ;  per- 
haps the  best  method  for  that  place,  under  the  circum- 
stances. The  two  candidates  were  required  to  take 
their  positions  opposite  each  other,  at  a  suitable  dis- 
tance ;  and,  at  a  given  signal,  each  volunteer  went 
to  the  one  whom  he  desired  for  his  captain.  Three- 
fourths  of  the  whole  number  at  once  took  their  stand 
with  Abraham ;  and,  when  those  who  first  went  to 
Fitzpatrick  saw  the  overwhelming  majority  for  Abra- 
ham, one  by  one  they  left  the  former  and  joined  the 
latter,  until  but  one  or  two  stood  with  Fitzpatrick. 

"I  felt  bad  for  Fitzpatrick,"  said  Green;  *'he  was 
the  most  lonesome-looking  fellow  I  ever  saw." 

"  He  might  have  known  that  we  shouldn't  vote  for 
him  when  Abe  is  about,"  remarked  Herndon.  ''  He 
was  too  anxious  to  serve  his  country." 

These,  and  kindred  remarks,  were  bandied  about 
after  the  company  had  indulged  in  vociferous  cheering, 
that  Black  Hawk  might  have  heard  if  he  had  been 
within  a  reasonable  distance. 

**  A  speech  from  the  captain,"  was  the  imperative 
call  from  the  company  ;  and  Abraham  promptly  accom- 
modated them  to  one  of  his  best  efforts,  in  which  he 
thanked  them  for  the  honor  conferred,  maintained  that 
their  choice  might  have  fallen  upon  one  much  better 
qualified  for  the  position  than  himself,  and  promised 
that  he  would  do  the  best  he  could  to  prove  himself 
worthy  of  their  confidence. 

"Captain  Lincoln!"  exclaimed  William  Greene, 
addressing  Abraham  facetiously,  and  tipping  his  hat  ; 
and,  henceforth,  "Captain  Lincoln"  was  alone  the 
soubriquet  by  which  he  was  known. 


ON  THE  WAR-PATH.  233 

One  incident  occurred  before  the  organization  of 
this  company,  which  should  be  rehearsed.  It  illus- 
trates his  temperance  principles,  at  the  same  time 
that  it  shows  his  marvellous  strength.  Green  said 
to  a  stranger,  who  happened  to  be  in  New  Sa- 
lem, — 

"  Abe  Lincoln  is  the  strongest  man  in  Illinois." 

"I  deny  it,"  answered  the  stranger,  immediately 
naming  a  stronger  party. 

*'  How  much  can  he  lift,"  asked  Green, 

"  He'll  lift  a  barrel  of  flour  as  easily  as  I  can  a  peck 
of  potatoes." 

''  Abe  can  lift  two  barrels  if  he  could  get  hold  of 
them." 

*'  Ha  !  ha !  ha  !  "  laughed  the  man.  *'  You  can  tell 
a  greater  story  than  I  can." 

"Great  story  or  not,  I  will  bet  that  Abe  will  lift 
a  barrel  of  whiskey,  and  drink  out  of  the  bunghole." 

** Worse  yet,"  replied  the  man.  "I'll  bet  he  can't 
do  any  such  thing." 

"  What  will  you  bet } " 

"I'll  bet  a  good  hat;  and  we'll  have  him  try  right 
off,  if  he  will." 

"  Agreed,"  said  Green.  The  truth  was  he  had 
seen  Abraham  do  this  very  thing,  minus  the  drinking 
part,  so  that  he  knew  he  should  win. 

Without  delay  they  sought  Abraham,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  store,  where  the  whiskey  was  found. 

"  I  don't  think  much  of  the  betting  part,"  said 
Abraham,  "but  I  guess  I'll  help  William  out  of  the 
scrape,  though  he  won't  have  much  chance  to  wear 
the  hat  yet  awhile,  if  he  is  going  to  war  with  mc." 


234       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Well,  if  you  can  do  what  he  says  you  can,  I  want 
to  see  it,"  said  the  man. 

"  You  shall  have  the  privilege,"  answered  Abra- 
ham. 

At  once  he  proceeded  to  perform  the  feat,  and 
accomplished  it  with  seeming  ease.  The  barrel  was 
raised,  and  a  quantity  of  liquor  taken  from  the  bung- 
hole. 

"  There  it  is ! "  exclaimed  Green.  "  But  that  is  the 
first  dram  I  ever  saw  you  drink  in  my  life,  Abe,"  he 
added,  turning  to  Abraham. 

The  words  had  scarcely  escaped  his  lips,  before 
Abraham  set  down  the  barrel,  and  spirted  the  whis- 
key that  was  in  his  mouth  upon  the  floor,  at  the 
same  time  replying,  "  And  I  haven't  drank  that,  you 
see." 

Green  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh  at  this  turn  of  the 
affair,  and  added,  "  You  are  bound  to  let  whiskey 
alone,  Abe." 

And  this  same  Green  writes  to  us  :  "  That  was  the 
only  drink  of  intoxicating  liquor  I  ever  saw  him  take, 
and  that  he  spirted  on  the  floor." 

The  stranger  was  satisfied,  as  well  as  astonished. 
He  had  never  seen  the  like  before,  and  he  doubted 
whether  he  ever  should  again.  He  did  not  know  that 
the  whole  life-discipline  through  which  Abraham 
had  passed  was  suited  to  develop  muscular  strength. 
Probably  he  did  not  care,  since  there  was  the  actual 
deed. 

We  are  interested  in  it  mostly  for  the  determina- 
tion it  showed  to  reject  whiskey.  The  act  was  in 
keeping  with  all  his  previous  temperance  habits. 


ON  THE  WAR-PATH.  235 

On  the  evening  after  this  affair,  Abraham  was 
alone  with  his  friend  WilHam  Green,  who  won  the 
aforesaid  hat,  and  he  said  to  him,  "  WilUam,  are  you 
in  the  habit  of  betting  ?  " 

"  No  ;  I  never  bet  before  in  my  life,  never." 

"  Well,  I  never  would  again,  if  I  were  you.  It  is 
what  unprincipled  men  will  do,  and  I  would  set  my 
face  against  it." 

"  I  didn't  see  anything  very  bad  in  that  bet,"  said 
William. 

"All  bets  are  alike,"  answered  Abraham,  "though 
you  may  not  have  any  bad  motives  in  doing  it." 

"  I  only  wanted  to  convince  the  man  that  you  could 
lift  the  barrel." 

"  I  know  it ;  but  I  want  you  should  promise  me  that 
you  will  never  bet  again.  It  is  a  species  of  gambling, 
and  nothing  is  meaner  than  that." 

"I  don't  suppose  I  shall  ever  do  it  again." 

"  I  want  you  should  promise  me  that  you  won't," 
continued  Abraham,  with  increased  emphasis.  "It 
will  please  your  mother  to  know  of  so  good  a  reso- 
lution." 

"  I  will  promise  you,  Abe,"  answered  William, 
grasping  his  hand,  while  tears  glistened  in  his  eyes. 
And  there  was  true  seriousness  in  this  transaction, 
more  than  might  appear  to  the  reader  at  first  view. 
The  one  who  thus  pledged  himself  to  Abraham  writes 
to  us  now,  in  his  riper  years  :  "  On  that  night,  when 
alone,  I  wept  over  his  lecture  to  me,  and  I  have  so  far 
kept  that  solemn  pledge." 

The  New  Salem  company  went  into  camp  at 
Beardstown,    from    whence,    in    a    few     days,    they 


236       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

marched  to  the  expected  scene  of  conflict.  When 
the  thirty  days  of  their  enlistment  had  expired,  how- 
ever, they  had  not  seen  the  enemy.  They  were  dis- 
banded at  Ottawa,  and  most  of  the  volunteers 
returned.  But  a  new  levy  being  called  for,  Abraham 
re-enlisted  as  a  private.  Another  thirty  days  ex- 
pired, and  the  war  was  not  over.  His  regiment  was 
disbanded,  and  again,  the  third  time,  he  volunteered. 
He  was  determined  to  serve  his  country  as  long  as  the 
war  lasted.  Before  the  third  term  of  his  enlistment 
had  expired,  the  battle  of  Bad  Axe  was  fought,  which 
put  an  end  to  the  war. 

He  returned  home.  "  Having  lost  his  horse,  near 
where  the  town  of  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  now  stands, 
he  went  down  Rock  River  to  Dixon  in  a  canoe. 
Thence  he  crossed  the  country  on  foot  to  Peoria, 
where  he  again  took  a  canoe  to  a  point  on  the  Illinois 
River,  within  forty  miles  of  home.  The  latter  dis- 
tance he  accomplished  on  foot." 

Several  incidents  transpired  during  his  connection 
with  the  army,  which  are  so  expressive  of  certain 
elements  of  his  character,  that  we  record  them  here. 
One  day  an  old  Indian  found  his  way  into  camp,  pro- 
fessing to  be  friendly  to  the  whites,  and  casting  him- 
self upon  the  mercy  of  Lincoln's  soldiers. 

**We  came  to  fight  Indians,"  shouted  one  of  the 
*'  boys,"  "  and  we'll  give  you  cold  lead  instead  of 
mercy." 

"  Shoot  him  !  shoot  him  !  "  cried  several  voices. 

"  A  spy  !  a  spy  !  "  shouted  others. 

The  demonstration  terrified  the  Indian,  and,  in  his 
distress,  he  flung  down  a  crumpled  paper  that  he  had 


Lntekcedixo  for  an  Ixbiax  in  the  Black-Hawk  Wah 


ON  THE  WAR-PATH.  237 

been  holding  in  his  hand,  and  begged  them  to  read  it. 
Captain  Lincohi  took  it  up,  and  found  that  it  was  a 
certificate  of  character  and  safe-conduct  from  General 
Cass,  endorsing  the  Indian  as  a  faithful  man  who  had 
done  good  for  him. 

"  A  forged  document  !  "  was  the  cry  raised  at  once. 

"The  old  savage  can't  run  it  on  us  like  that," 
cried  Bill  Clary,  raising  his  gun  in  a  threatening 
manner. 

"  Kill  him  !  show  him  no  quarter  !  "  cried  another  of 
the  "  Clary  Grove  Boys,"  several  of  whom  had  made 
considerable  trouble  for  their  captain  by  their  unruly 
conduct. 

The  "  boys  "  were  bound  to  kill  the  red-skin,  and 
were  actually  rushing  upon  him  when  Captain  Lincoln 
sprang  before  him,  confronting  the  assailants,  and 
commanding  them  to  desist. 

"  You  shall  not  shoot  the  Indian,"  he  cried.  *'  Gen- 
eral Cass's  order  must  be  respected." 

*'We  WILL  shoot  him,"  yelled  a  Clary  Grove  ruffian. 

**  Not  unless  you  shoot  me,"  fiercely  cried  Captain 
Lincoln,  towering  up  to  his  full  height,  and  covering 
the  Indian  by  his  bodily  presence. 

His  determined  manner,  resolute  an.d  invincible 
spirit,  and  terrible  earnestness,  evinced  by  every  motion 
of  his  body,  cowed  the  "boys,"  so  that  they  fell  back 
sullenly,  and  desisted  from  firing  the  fatal  shot. 
Some  of  them,  however,  still  muttered  vengeance  in  a 
low  tone,  and  finally,  one,  more  defiant  than  the  rest, 
exclaimed  : 

"  This  is  cowardly  on  your  part,  Lincoln." 

Aroused  to  the  highest  pitch  of  determination  by  this 


238       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

insolent   and  unreasonable   charge,   Captain    Lincoln 
shouted : 

*'  If  any  of  you  think  I  am  a  coward,  let  him  test  it, 
here  and  now." 

"  You  are  larger  and  heavier  than  we  are,  Lincoln," 
replied  one. 

"  You  can  guard  against  this  ;  choose  your  own 
weapons,"  Captain  Lincoln  retorted,  the  unconquerable 
spirit  within  him  manifesting  itself  through  every 
lineament  of  his  face  and  every  gesture.  *'  He  never 
appeared  so  powerful  and  fearless  before,"  says  one 
who  was  present.  Even  the  most  rebellious  of  the 
*'  Clary  Grove  Boys  "  dared  not  lift  his  finger  against 
the  Indian ;  and  never  more  did  they  associate  the 
term  "coward  "  with  Lincoln's  name. 

In  this  affair  Captain  Lincoln's  life  was  in  as  great 
peril  as  that  of  the  Indian.  One  of  his  biographers 
says  :  "  He  often  declared  that  his  life  and  character 
were  both  at  stake,  and  would  probably  have  been 
lost,  had  he  not  at  that  supremely  critical  moment  for- 
gotten the  officer  and  asserted  the  man.  To  have 
ordered  the  offenders  under  arrest  would  have  created 
a  formidable  mutiny ;  to  have  tried  and  punished  them 
would  have  been  impossible.  They  could  scarcely  be 
called  soldiers  ;  they  were  merely  armed  citizens,  with 
a  nominal  military  organization.  They  were  but  re- 
cently enlisted,  and  their  term  of  service  was  about  to 
expire.  Had  he  preferred  charges  against  them,  and 
offered  to  submit  their  differences  to  a  court  of  any 
sort,  it  would  have  been  regarded  as  an  act  of  personal 
pusillanimity,  and  his  efficiency  would  have  been  gone 
forever." 


ON  THE  WAR-PATH.  239 

Wrestling,  jumping,  and  lifting  was  a  pastime  in 
camp,  and  Captain  Lincoln  excelled  every  man  in  the 
regiment  in  these  feats.  His  company  declared  that 
there  was  not  a  man  in  the  whole  army  who  was  his 
equal  as  a  wrestler ;  and  they  boastfully  pitted  him 
against  the  "  whole  field."  This  challenge  brought 
out  a  man  from  another  regiment,  by  the  name  of 
Thompson,  who  offered  to  wrestle  with  Lincoln.  The 
latter's  company  at  once  staked  money,  weapons,  and 
outfit,  believing  that  their  captain  would  lay  the 
"  great  Western  wrestler,"  as  he  was  called,  on  his 
back. 

Captain  Lincoln  had  tussled  with  Thompson  but 
a  few  minutes  when  he  remarked  to  his  friends,  — 

^*  This  is  the  most  powerful  man  I  ever  had  hold  of. 
He  will  throw  me,  and  you  will  lose." 

The  company  urged  him  on,  believing  he  was  more 
than  a  match  for  Thompson  ;  but  they  were  sadly  dis- 
appointed when  the  latter  threw  their  champion  flat 
on  his  back.  As,  according  to  the  custom,  it  required 
two  out  of  three  falls  to  settle  the  contest,  they  were 
soon  struggling  again,  when  both  of  them  came  to 
the  ground,  Thompson  on  top.  In  their  great  disap- 
pointment, Lincoln's  men  claimed  that  Thompson  was 
thrown  as  really  as  their  captain,  the  second  time,  and 
refused  to  give  up  their  property  staked.  This 
brought  on  a  collision  with  Thompson's  friends,  and 
they  were  about  to  proceed  to  blows,  when  Captain 
Lincoln  magnanimously  stepped  in  and  prevented  fur- 
ther trouble.     Addressing  his  men,  he  said, — 

"  Boys,  Thompson  actually  threw  me  once  fair, 
broadly  so  ;  and  the  second  time  he  threw  me  fairly, 


240       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


though  not  apparently  so."  And  he  counselled  them 
to  be  honest  and  accept  the  inevitable.  This  was  a 
very  remarkable  example  of  magnanimity,  and  served 
to  exalt  Lincoln  still  higher,  if  possible,  in  the  estima- 
tion of  all. 

Another  incident  we  will  give  in  the  language  of 
William  Green  :  **  One  other  word  in  reference  to 
Lincoln's  care  for  the  health  and  welfare  of  his  men, 
and  justice  to  them.  Some  officers  of  the  United 
States  had  claimed  that  the  regular  army  had  a  pref- 
erence in  the  rations  and  pay.  Captain  Lincoln  was 
ordered  to  do  some  act  which  he  deemed  unauthor- 
ized. He,  however,  obeyed,  but  went  to  the  officer 
and  said  to  him,  'Sir,  you  forget  that  we  are  not 
under  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment at  Washington  ;  are  only  volunteers  under  the 
orders  and  regulations  of  Illinois.  Keep  in  your  own 
sphere,  and  there  will  be  no  difficulty ;  but  resistance 
will  hereafter  be  made  to  your  unjust  orders  ;  and, 
further,  my  men  must  be  equal  in  all  particulars,  in 
rations,  arms,  camps,  etc.,  to  the  regular  army.'  The 
man  saw  that  Lincoln  was  right,  and  determined  to 
have  justice  done.  Afterwards  we  were  treated 
equally  well,  and  just  as  the  regular  army  was,  in  every 
particular.  This  brave,  just,  and  humane  act  in  behalf 
of  the  volunteers  at  once  attached  officers  and  rank  to 
him,  as  with  hooks  of  steel." 

Mr.  Irwin  pays  the  following  deserved  tribute  to 
Lincoln  in  the  army  :  "  During  the  campaign  Lincoln 
himself  was  always  ready  for  an  emergency.  He  en- 
dured hardships  like  a  good  soldier ;  he  never  com- 
plained, nor  did  he  fear  danger.     When  fighting  was 


ON  THE  WAR-PATH.  24 1 

expected,  or  danger  apprehended,  Lincoln  was  the  first 
to  say  'Let's  go.'  He  had  the  confidence  of  every 
man  of  his  company,  and  they  obeyed  his  orders  at  a 
word.  His  company  was  mostly  young  men,  and  full 
of  sport." 

The  Black  Hawk  war  was  not  much  of  a  war  after 
all,  and  our  hero  did  not  engage  directly  with  the 
enemy  face  to  face.  Yet  two  officers  in  that  war,  Col- 
onel Zachary  Taylor  and  Captain  Abraham  Lincoln, 
subsequently  became  Presidents  of  the  United  States. 

One  of  the  most  humorous  speeches  Abraham  Lin- 
coln ever  made  in  Congress  had  reference  to  this  war. 
General  Cass  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for.  Presi- 
dent, and  certain   congressional   orators  made  capital         ■ 

out  of  the  General's  connection  with  the  Black  Hawk         i 

\ 
war.  5 

Lincoln  rose  in  his  seat,  and  said,  among  other  * 
things,  "  By  the  way,  Mr.  Speaker,  do  you  know  that  I  ( 
am  a  military  hero }  Yes,  sir,  in  the  days  of  the  Black 
Hawk  war,  I  fought,  bled,  and  came  away.  Speak- 
ing of  General  Cass's  career  reminds  me  of  my  own. 
I  was  not  at  Stillman's  defeat,  but  I  was  about  as  near 
it  as  Cass  to  Hull's  surrender  ;  and  like  him  I  saw  the 
place  very  soon  afterward.  It  is  quite  certain  that  I 
did  not  break  my  sword,  for  I  had  none  to  break ;  * 
but  I  bent  my  musket  pretty  badly  on  one  occasion. 
.  .  .  If  General  Cass  went  in  advance  of  me  in  pick- 
ing whortleberries,  I  guess  I  surpassed  him  in  charges 
upon  the  wild  onions.  If  he  saw  any  live,  fighting 
Indians,  it  was  more  than  I  did,  but  I  had  a  good  many 

*  Lincoln   re-enlisted   as  private,   so  that  he  did  not  carry   a 
sword  after  the  term  of  his  company's  enlistment  expired. 


242       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

bloody  struggles  with  the  mosquitoes  ;  and,  although  I 
never  fainted  from  loss  of  blood,  I  can  truly  say  I  was 
often  very  hungry.  .  .  .  If  I  should  ever  turn 
Democrat,  and  be  taken  up  as  a  candidate  for  the 
Presidency  by  the  Democratic  party,  I  hope  they  will 
not  make  fun  of  me  by  attempting  to  make  me  out  a 
military  hero." 


CHAPTER    XIX. 
UNSOUGHT    HONORS. 

|N  his  return  from  the  Black  Hawk  war, 
Lincoln  took  up  his  abode  in  the  family  of 
J.  R.  Herndon.  The  people  of  New  Salem 
gave  him  a  hearty  welcome,  and  delighted 
to  call  him  ''  Captain  Lincoln."  The  Herndon  family 
were  soon  more  strongly  attached  to  him  than  ever. 
"  He  had  one  of  Herndon's  children  around  with  him 
nearly  all  the  time,"  says  an  eye-witness.  "  He  was 
at  home  wherever  he  went,  and  made  himself  wonder- 
fully agreeable  to  the  people  he  lived  with,  or  hap- 
pened to  be  visiting,"  says  Mr.  Herndon.  That  his 
kind  and  benevolent  disposition  did  not  suffer  by  his 
service  in  the  army  is  quite  evident  from  a  remark  of 
Mr.  Herndon,  "  He  was  kind  to  the  widow  and 
orphan,  and  chopped  their  wood." 

He  was  casting  about  for  some  employment,  where- 
by to  earn  a  livelihood.  For  some  reason,  to  us 
unknown,  the  blacksmith's  trade  attracted  his  atten- 
tion. 

"What  do  you  think  of  my  learning  the  black- 
smith's trade } "  he  said  to  his  friend,  William  Green, 
one  day. 


244       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE   HOUSE. 

"A  blacksmith  !"  exclaimed  William  with  much  sur- 
prise. **That  would  be  quite  a  descent  from  Captain 
Lincoln  to  smithy  Lincoln.     You  are  joking,  Cap'n." 

*' Never  was  more  serious  in  my  life,  William.  A 
blacksmith  is  of  more  practical  use  to  the  community 
than  a  captain  in  an  Indian  war." 

"But  less ^/^;7  in  it,"  replied  Green.  *'You  don't 
seem  to  understand  that  war  makes  heroes,  and 
heroes  get  into  political  life.  Why,  Abe,  we're  going 
to  send  you  to  the  legislature." 

**None  of  your  bantering,  William,"  Lincoln 
answered,  supposing  that  his  friend  was  joking.  "I'm 
talking  business." 

"  So  am  I.  Haven't  you  heard,  Abe,  that  the  Clay 
men  are  going  to  run  you  for  the  legislature.'*" 

"No,  nor  you.  Yesterday  I  heard  the  names  of 
John  T.  Stuart,  Colonel  Taylor  and  Peter  Cartwright, 
named  as  Jackson  candidates ;  and  nobody  would  think 
of  running  me  against  such  men." 

"All  that  may  be,  and  there  may  be  a  half-dozen 
other  candidates;  but  we  are  going  to  run  you 
against  the  whole  batch,  unless  you  positively  de- 
cline." 

"You  are  crazy,  William,  and  all  the  rest  of  you 
who  entertain  such  a  thought.  What!  run  me, 
nothing  but  a  strapping  boy,  against  such  men  of 
experience  and  wisdom!  Come,  now,  no  more  of 
your  gammon." 

"Then  you  won't  believe  me.^" 

"I  didn't  say  so." 

"  Well,  believe  it  or  not,  you  will  be  waited  upon  by 
older  persons  than  I  am,  to  get  your  consent." 


UNSOUGHT  HONORS.  245 

And,  sure  enough,  he  was  waited  upon  by  several  of 
the  most  influential  citizens  of  New  Salem,  within 
twenty-four  hours  thereafter,  to  ask  his  consent  to  run 
as  a  candidate  for  the  legislature. 

*'It  will  only  subject  me  to  ridicule,"  he  said. 

"Why  so?"  inquired  one  of  the  number. 

"For  the  folly  of  running  against  such  men  as 
Stuart  and  Cartwright." 

"Not  if  you  beat  them." 

"  That  is  impossible.  I  should  not  expect  to  be 
elected,  if  I  should  consent  to  be  a  candidate." 

"I  don't  know  about  that,"  answered  one;  "we 
expect  to  elect  you." 

"  But  I  have  lived  in  the  county  only  a  few 
months,  and  am  known  only  in  New  Salem,  while 
the  other  candidates  are  known  in  every  part  of  the 
county.  Besides,  it  is  only  ten  days  before  the 
election,  and  there  is  little  time  to  carry  your 
measures." 

"  Very  true ;  but  there  is  a  principle  involved  in 
your  nomination,  and  we  shall  sustain  that,  whether 
you  are  elected  or  not." 

Here  was  a  point  of  importance.  There  were  no 
distinct  political  parties  then  in  the  State,  as  there 
are  now.  But  there  were  "Jackson  men  and  Clay 
men,"  not  to  mention  others.  Abraham  was  a  "  Clay 
man,"  while  the  majority  vote  of  the  county,  at  the 
previous  presidential  election,  was  cast  for  Jackson. 
In  these  circumstances  there  was  little  prospect  that 
the  young  candidate  would  be  elected. 

Suffice  to  say  that  Abraham  at  last  yielded  very 
reluctantly,   and   became   a   candidate.      He  was  not 


246       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

elected ;  but  his  popularity  may  be  learned  from  the 
fact  that  he  stood  next  to  the  successful  candidate, 
and  only  a  few  votes  behind  him.  *'  His  own  precinct, 
New  Salem,  gave  him  277  votes  in  a  poll  of  284,"  —  all 
but  seven.  No  one  was  more  surprised  than  Abraham 
himself.  Although  he  was  not  elected,  yet  the  result, 
in  the  circumstances,  was  a  signal  triumph. 

Mr.  R.  B.  Rutledge  was  the  citizen  who  really 
secured  Lincoln's  consent  to  be  a  candidate.  He 
had  heard  him  make  a  speech  before  the  "  New  Salem 
Literary  Society,"  on  one  occasion,  which  impressed 
him  so  much  that  he  did  not  hesitate  to  say,  "Abe 
will  make  a  great  ma.n."  Of  that  speech  he  says: 
"As  he  rose  to  speak,  his  tall  form  towered  above  the 
little  assembly.  Both  hands  were  thrust  down  deep  in 
the  pockets  of  his  pantaloons.  A  perceptible  smile  at 
once  lit  up  the  faces  of  the  audience,  for  all  anticipated 
the  relation  of  some  humorous  story.  But  he  opened 
up  the  discussion  in  splendid  style,  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  his  friends.  As  he  warmed  with  his  subject, 
his  hands  forsook  his  pockets  and  enforced  his  noble 
thoughts  with  awkward  gestures.  He  pursued  the 
question  with  reason  and  argument  so  pithy  that  all 
were  amazed."  The  president,  at  his  fireside,  after  the 
meeting,  remarked  to  his  wife,  "There  is  more  in 
Abe's  head  than  wit  and  fun.  He  is  already  a  fine 
speaker,  and  all  that  is  needed  is  culture,  to  enable 
him  to  reach  the  high  place  which  I  believe  is  in  store 
for  him." 

While  Mr.  Rutledge  admitted  to  Abraham  that 
there  was  little  or  no  chance  of  his  election,  he  assured 
him  that  the  canvass  would  bring  his  name  prominently 


UNSOUGHT  HONORS.  247 

before  the  voters  of  the  county  for  future  use.  His 
arguments  prevailed  with  Lincoln. 

Candidates  for  State  offices  were  obliged  to  take  the 
stump,  and  declare  their  sentiments  and  vindicate 
them.  Abraham  followed  the  custom,  and  made 
several  speeches,  with  the  expressed  condition,  how- 
ever, that  "his  friends  should  not  laugh  at  him."  His 
first  speech  was  made  at  Pappsville,  about  eleven  miles 
west  of  Springfield.     It  was  as  follows:  — 

"Gentlemen  and  fellow-citizens,  I  presume  you  all 
know  who  I  am.  I  am  humble  Abraham  Lincoln.  I 
have  been  solicited  by  many  friends  to  become  a  can- 
didate for  the  Legislature.  My  politics  are  short  and 
sweet :  I  am  in  favor  of  a  national  bank ;  I  am  in 
favor  of  the  internal  improvement  system  and  a  high 
protective  tariff.  These  are  my  sentiments  and  politi- 
cal principles.  If  elected,  I  shall  be  thankful ;  if  not, 
it  will  be  all  the  same." 

The  brevity  of  his  speech  was  the  fruit  of  his 
modesty,  which  did  not  fail  to  captivate  his  hearers. 
He  made  several  other  speeches,  and  issued  an  address 
also,  of  considerable  length  and  real  merit,  to  the  voters 
of  the  county.     In  closing  that  address,  he  said:  — 

"Considering  the  great  degree  of  modesty  that 
should  always  attend  youth,  it  is  probable  that  I  have 
been  more  presuming  than  becomes  me.  However, 
upon  the  subjects  of  which  I  have  treated,  I  have 
spoken  as  I  have  thought.  .  .  .  Every  man  is  said 
to  have  his  peculiar  ambition.  Whether  it  be  true  or 
not,  I  can  say,  for  one,  that  I  have  no  other  so  great 
as  that  of  being  truly  esteemed  of  my  fellow-men,  by 
rendering  myself  worthy  of  their  esteem." 


248       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

His  opponents  made  fun  of  his  appearance  wherever 
he  spoke ;  and  it  must  be  confessed  that  there  was 
some  occasion  for  it,  judging  from  the  description  of 
his  dress  furnished  by  his  friend,  Mr.  A.  B.  ElHs,  who 
accompanied  him  during  a  part  of  the  campaign.  He 
says :  ''  He  wore  a  mixed  jeans  coat,  claw-hammer 
style,  short  in  the  sleeves,  and  bobtail,  —  in  fact,  it 
was  so  short  in  the  tail  he  could  not  sit  on  it, — flax 
and  tow  linen  pantaloons,  and  a  straw  hat.  I  think 
he  wore  a  vest,  but  do  not  remember  how  it  looked. 
He  then  wore  pot-metal  boots." 

Thoughtful,  substantial  citizens  regarded  Abra- 
ham's mode  of  dress  rather  complimentary.  It 
denoted  the  absence  of  pride  and  vanity  to  them 
more  than  an  absence  of  taste.  *'  Abe's  no  dandy," 
remarked  one  of  his  most  enthusiastic  admirers, 
designing  to  pay  him  a  high  compliment. 

When  the  labor  and  excitement  of  the  campaign 
were  over,  Abraham's  pocket  was  empty.  He  was, 
therefore,  under  the  necessity  of  finding  "  something 
to  do."  The  vote  of  New  Salem  convinced  him  that 
he  had  plenty  of  friends  there.  A  citizen  remarked, 
referring  to  his  poverty,  "  Abe  has  nothing  except 
plenty  of  friends."     But  he  must  have  work,  also. 

"  You  must  stay  here,"  said  his  friend  Green,  very 
earnestly. 

**  There  is  no  must  about  it,  if  there's  no  work  for 
me,"  answered  Lincoln. 

"■  There'll  be  enough  that  you  can  do,  only  take 
time  for  it  ;  the  world  wasn't  made  in  a  minute." 

**  No  ;  I  suppose  it  took  about  six  days,  and  if  I  can 
find  employment  in  that  time,  I  shall  be  satisfied." 


UNSOUGHT  HONORS.  249 

"I'll  tell  you  what  to  do,  Abe, — study  law: 
you're  just  the  man  for  it." 

"Whew!  I  should  laugh  to  see  myself  trying  to 
make  a  lawyer." 

"  Why  not  be  one,  I  should  like  to  know  } " 

"  For  the  very  good  reason,  that  I  haven't  brains 
enough." 

"Just  what  I  thought  you  would  say.  You  are 
altogether  too  sparing  of  good  opinions  of  your- 
self. You've  more  brains  than  half  the  lawyers  in 
Illinois." 

"  Perhaps  that  isn't  saying  much,"  replied  Abra- 
ham, laughing;  "although  it  is  a  pretty  handsome 
compliment  on  your  part.     Much  obliged." 

"Well,  compliment  or  not,  I  have  heard  a  good 
many  people  say  that  you  ought  to  be  a  lawyer." 

"  And  I  have  heard  one  propose  that  I  be  a  black- 
smith, as  I  told  you  ;  and  I  suppose  I  could  swing  a 
sledge-hammer  equal  to  any  of  them." 

"  And  throw  away  your  talents  ?  Any  fool  could 
be  a  blacksmith." 

"  By  no  means.  No  man  can  be  successful  at  any- 
thing unless  he  is  industrious,  and  has  common  sense, 
and  a  good  share  of  perseverance." 

"  That's  so,  I  s'pose  ;  but  a  blacksmith  is  the  last 
thing  I  would  be  if  I  were  in  your  place.  I  would  like 
to  know  who  ever  suggested  such  an  idea  to  you." 

"My  father  several  years  ago;  and  less  than  five 
years  ago  I  came  within  an  ace  of  putting  his  advice 
into  practice.     I  almost  decided  to  go  at  it  for  life." 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  ha  !  "  laughed  his  friend,  heartily. 
"  Wouldn't  you  cut  a  dash  donning  a  leather  apron 


250       PIOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

and  blowing  the  blacksmith's  bellows,  like  another  Jack 
Smuttyface,  as  they  used  to  call  Jake  Tower." 

"An  honest  calling,"  answered  Lincoln;  "and  that 
is  the  main  thing.  A  lawyer  can  look  a  little  more 
spruce  than  a  son  of  Vulcan,  to  be  sure  ;  but  a  black 
smith  can  be  just  as  upright,  if  not  a  little  more  so." 

"And  what  do  you  mean  by  'a  little  more  so'.^" 
asked  Green. 

"  Why,  don't  you  know  that  nearly  everybody  sus- 
pects lawyers  of  trickery, —  doing  anything  for  a  fee, 
blowing  hot  or  cold  for  the  sake  of  a  case,  —  shielding 
the  meanest  culprits  as  readily  as  they  do  the  best 
men  —  and  all  that  sort  of  thing  V 

"  Not  quite  so  bad  as  that,  Abe.  I  know  that  law- 
yers are  not  over  particular,  and  that  is  true  of  a  good 
many  folks  who  are  not  lawyers.  If  you  won't  follow 
a  calling  because  there  are  scapegraces  in  it,  you  will 
not  choose  one  right  away." 

"  Perhaps  so  ;  but  no  man  has  any  more  right  to 
defend  the  wrong  because  he  is  a  lawyer  than  he  has 
because  he  is  a  blacksmith,  in  my  way  of  thinking." 

"  I  give  it  up,  Abe  ;  you've  got  the  case  already,  and 
I  am  more  convinced  than  ever  that  you  ought  to  study 
law." 

"That  is,  if  you  are  judge  and  jury,"  responded 
Lincoln.  "  But  I  don't  understand  why  it  is  that 
people  are  determined  I  shall  be  a  lawyer.  As  many 
as  ten  months  ago,  two  or  three  people  gave  me  the 
same  advice,  though  I  thought  they  were  half  in 
joke." 

"  Well,  Abe,  perhaps  you'll  get  your  eyes  open,  if 
you  live  long  enough,  to  sec  what  you  ought  to  be," 


UNSOUGHT  HONORS.  2$  I 

said  Green,  in  a  strain  of  pleasantry.  *'  Not  many 
folks  live  that  have  to  go  to  their  neighbors  to  find  out 
what  they  are.  By  the  time  you  are  seven  feet  high, 
perhaps  you  will  understand." 

"  I  should  think  I  was  pretty  near  that  now,  by  what 
people  say,"  archly  replied  Lincoln. 

*'  I  think  you  are  in  a  fair  way  to  be,  if  you  keep 
on." 

*'  And  I  shall  be  a  lawyer  by  that  time,  and  not  be  ■ 
fore."     And  here  they  parted. 

Lincoln  had  no  intention  of  being  a  lawyer,  after  all 
that  his  friends  had  suggested.  He  had  no  confidence 
in  his  abilities  for  that  profession.  Indeed,  he  could 
not  see  how  a  young  man  reared  as  he  was  could  ex- 
pect to  enter  upon  such  a  calling.  Yet  he  longed  for 
some  permanent  pursuit, — a  life-vocation.  He  did 
not  like  this  going  from  one  thing  to  another,  and  he 
only  did  it  from  sheer  necessity.  He  believed  that  a 
young  man  should  choose  a  calling,  and  stick  to  it  with 
unwearied  devotion,  if  he  would  make  anything  in  the 
world.  He  wanted  to  do  this  ;  but  what  should  he 
choose  .'*  He  was  perplexed,  troubled,  and  the  more 
so,  because  admiring  friends  advised  him  to  do  what 
he  really  supposed  was  beyond  his  ability.  He  under- 
rated his  talents,  (a  very  good  failing),  and  all  the  time 
thought  that  others  were  overrating  them.  Few 
youth  and  young  men  suffer  in  this  way.  They  are 
more  apt  to  injure  themselves  by  too  exalted  views  of 
their  talents.  Some  of  the  veriest  simpletons  esteem 
themselves  as  the  wisest  and  greatest  men.  Igno- 
rance is  more  likely  to  be  vain  and  proud  than  ripe 
talents   and    learning.      True    knowledge   is    humble. 


252        PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Great  talents  are  marked  by  humility.  And  so  young 
Lincoln  did  not  stand  so  high  in  his  own  estimation  as 
he  did  in  the  estimation  of  others.  This  was  the 
case  with  Sir  Humphrey  Davy,  Nathaniel  Bowditch, 
Arkwright,  Franklin,  Washington,  and  many  others. 
From  their  youth  they  were  devoid  of  that  vain  self- 
confidence  which  many  shallow-brained  people  pos- 
sess. 

Instead  of  becoming  a  blacksmith,  however,  Abra- 
ham became  a  merchant.  Mr.  Herndon,  with  whom 
he  boarded,  was  running  a  grocery  with  one  Berry, 
and  he  sold  out  his  interest  to  Lincoln.  Soon  after- 
wards William  Green  bought  out  Radford,  and  imme- 
diately sold  his  stock  of  groceries  to  Lincoln  for  a 
bonus  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  taking  Lin- 
coln's note.  The  name  of  the  firm  was  '*  Lincoln  & 
Berry."  Berry  turned  out  to  be  an  intemperate, 
worthless  fellow,  embarrassed  the  business,  cheated 
his  partner,  "  cleared  out,"  and  left  Lincoln  with  all 
the  debts  to  pay.  The  settlement  left  him  penniless, 
without  a  copper  to  pay  his  note  to  Green.  "All 
right,"  said  Green  ;  "  don't  trouble  yourself  about  me. 
When  you  are  able  to  pay  it  you  can  ;  but  if  you  don't, 
it's  all  the  same.' 

Abraham  facetiously  called  it  "  the  national  debt,'* 
and  declared  that  he  "  should  never  rest  until  it  was 
paid."  And  he  did  not.  Green  removed  to  Tennes- 
see before  the  note  was  paid,  and  scarcely  expected 
that  his  friend  would  ever  be  able  to  redeem  it.  But, 
in  1840,  after  Abraham  had  entered  the  legal  profes- 
sion, the  last  dollar  was  paid. 

Being  through   with  his  store  Abraham  was  again 


UNSOUGHT  HONORS.  253 

without  employment.  To  add  to  his  disappointment, 
Mr.  Herndon,  with  whom  he  boarded,  removed  from 
town,  obhging  him  to  take  up  his  quarters  at  the 
village  "tavern" — a  log  house  with  four  rooms. 
While  waiting  for  some  opening,  he  devoted  himself 
to  mental  improvement  with  more  earnestness  than 
ever.  He  read  Rollin's  Ancient  History.  Gibbon's 
Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  and  similar 
works,  borrowed  of  William  Green,  Minter  Graham, 
Bowlin  Greene,  and  other  parties.  Copies  of  the 
works  of  the  poets,  Burns  and  Shakespeare,  were 
lent  him,  and  Kirkham's  Grammar  was  reviewed, 
also.  He  was  so  won  by  Burns  and  Shakespeare  that 
he  committed  many  of  their  best  productions  to 
memory ;  and  through  life,  these  poets  were  his 
favorite  reading. 

He  wrote  a  careful  synopsis  of  all  the  books  he 
read,  in  order  to  treasure  the  contents  in  his  memory. 
This  habit  was  of  inestimable  value  to  him.  To  it  is 
to  be  traced,  in  part  at  least,  that  clearness  of  ex- 
pression, and  that  fund  of  illustrations  and  facts,  for 
which  the  public  ^addresses  of  his  ripe  manhood  were 
distinguished. 

Citizens  of  New  Salem  claim,  also,  that  he  began 
to  study  law  at  this  time.  There  is  no  reliable  evi- 
dence, however,  that  he  began  the  study  of  law,  with 
the  expectation  of  ever  entering  the  profession,  at 
that  time.  He  purchased  an  old  copy  of  Blackstone, 
or  some  other  law  book,  at  an  auction  in  Springfield ; 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  studied  it  as  thoroughly 
as  he  did  other  works,  but  with  no  settled  determina- 
tion to  become  a  lawyer. 


254       PIOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

i\Ir.  Henry  says  of  him,  at  this  time,  '*  He  used  to 
read  law,  barefooted,  seated  in  the  shade  of  a  tree, 
and  would  grind  around  with  the  shade,  just  oppo- 
site Berry's  grocery  store,  a  few  feet  south  of  the 
door.  He  occasionally  varied  the  attitude  by  lying 
flat  on  his  back,  and  putting  his  feet  up  the  tree.'' 
Another  says  that  *'  he  studied,  also.  Natural  Phi- 
losophy, Chemistry,  Astronomy,  etc.  He  had  no 
regular  teacher,  but  perhaps  received  more  assistance 
from  Minter  Graham  than  from  any  other  person." 

Mr.  Ellis,  of  whom  we  have  spoken,  opened  a  store 
in  New  Salem,  and  boarded  at  the  ''tavern"  when 
Abraham  did.     He  says  of  him:  — 

''  He  used  to  assist  me  in  the  store  on  busy  days, 
but  he  always  disliked  to  wait  on  the  ladies ;  he 
preferred  trading  with  the  men  and  boys,  as  he 
used  to  say.  I  also  remember  that  he  used  to  sleep  in 
the  store,  on  the  counter,  when  they  had  too  much 
company  at  the  tavern. 

*'  I  well  remember  how  he  was  dressed ;  he  wore 
flax  and  tow  linen  pantaloons,  —  I  thought  about  five 
inches  too  short  in  the  legs,  —  and  frequently  he  had 
but  one  suspender,  no  vest  or  coat.  He  wore  a  calico 
shirt,  such  as  he  had  in  the  Black  Hawk  War :  coarse 
brogans,  tan  color ;  blue  yarn  socks,  and  straw  hat,  old 
style,  and  without  a  band. 

"  He  was  very  shy  of  ladies.  On  one  occasion, 
while  we  boarded  at  this  tavern,  there  came  a  family, 
containing  an  old  lady  and  her  son,  and  three  stylish 
daughters,  from  the  State  of  Virginia,  and  stopped 
there  for  two  or  three  weeks  ;  and,  during  their  stay, 
I  do  not  rerrtember  of  Lincoln  ever  eating  at  the  same 


UNSOUGHT  HONORS.  255 

table  when  they  did.  I  then  thought  it  was  on 
account  of  his  awkward  appearance  and  his  wearing 
apparel." 

Mr.  Lamon  says  of  him,  at  this  time :  "  He  read 
with  avidity  all  the  newspapers  that  came  to  New 
Salem,  —  chiefly  'The  Sangamon  Journal,'  'The 
Missouri  Republican '  and  the  '  Louisville  Journal' 
The  latter  was  his  favorite ;  its  wit  and  anecdotes 
were  after  his  own  heart."  He  also  read  "The 
Cincinnati  Gazette"  and  other  papers. 

His  quarters  at  the  "tavern"  subjected  him  to 
many  interruptions.  People  enjoyed  his  conversation 
so  much  that  they  paid  little  regard  to  his  time  for 
study.  In  consequence,  he  was  obliged  to  seek  quiet 
elsewhere.  "Sometimes  he  went  to  James  Short's  on 
the  Sand  Ridge ;  sometimes  to  Minter  Graham's  ; 
sometimes  to  Bowlin  Greene's ;  sometimes  to  Jack 
Armstrong's,  and  as  often,  perhaps,  to  Abel's  or  Ben 
Herndon's.  All  of  these  men  served  him  faithfully 
and  signally  at  one  time  and  another,  and  to  all 
of  them  he  was  sincerely  attached." 

Lincoln  found  work  after  a  time.  Unexpectedly  he 
met  John  Calhoun  of  Springfield,  —  the  Calhoun 
who  subsequently  became  notorious  for  his  efforts 
to  enslave  Kansas.  He  became  President  of  the 
Lecompton  Constitutional  Convention,  and  disgraced 
himself,  by  plans  and  tricks,  to  force  slavery  upon 
Kansas.  But  when  he  met  Abraham,  he  was  engaged 
in  a  more  legitimate  and  honorable  business  ;  he  was 
"Surveyor  for  Sangamon  County." 

"Try  your  hand  at  surveying,"  said  Calhoun. 

*•  I  know  nothing  about  it,"  answered  Abraham. 


256       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Learn,  then." 

"  How  can  I  do  that  ?  " 

"  Easy  enough  if  you  want  to  do  it." 

*'  I  do  want  to  do  it.  I  think  I  should  like  the 
business,  if  I  could  qualify  myself  for  it." 

*'  You  can,  and  in  a  few  weeks,  too.  I  will  lend 
you  Flint  and  Gibson,  the  authors  you  will  want  to 
study,  and  you  can  provide  yourself  with  a  compass 
and  chain,  and  I  will  render  you  any  assistance  I 
can." 

"  You  are  very  kind,  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  I  will  do  the 
best  I  can.  Your  generous  offer  shall  not  come 
to  nothing  for  want  of  my  trying." 

"  You'll  make  a  good  surveyor,  I'm  sure  of  that, 
and  find  plenty  of  business.  And,  what  is  more, 
I  will  depute  to  you  that  portion  of  my  field  con- 
tiguous to  New  Salem." 

"  It  is  more  than  I  could  expect  of  you,"  said 
Lincoln.     "  I  could  not  ask  so  great  a  favor." 

"Take  it  without  asking,"  said  Calhoun,  in  a  jolly 
way.  "  I  have  much  more  than  I  can  do,  and  I  am 
glad  to  give  you  a  portion  of  the  county.  The  great 
influx  of  immigrants,  and  the  consequent  entry  of 
government  lands,  has  given  me  more  than  my  hands 
full." 

''  I  shall  be  glad  to  accept  your  offer  as  soon  as 
I  am  qualified  for  the  business."  ' 

"The  bargain  is  closed,  then,  and  in  six  weeks 
you  can  be  surveying,  if  you're  a  mind  to,"  said 
Calhoun. 

"  I  shall  have  a  mind  to,  if  that  is  all,"  replied 
Lincoln  ;  "  and  with  a  thousand  thanks,  too,  for  your 


UNSOUGHT  HONORS.  257 

assistance.  It  is  worth  all  the  more  to  me  now, 
because  I  am  thrown  out  of  business." 

"Well,  this  will  make  business  enough  for  you, 
and  it  needs  a  long-legged,  tough,  wiry  fellow  like 
you  to  do  it  well.  This  is  a  great  country  for  sur- 
veyors." 

"  But  shall  I  not  need  to  take  some  lessons  of  you 
in  the  field  when  I  get  through  the  study." 

"  It  will  be  a  capital  idea,  and  you  are  welcome  to 
all  I  can  aid  you  any  time  you  will  come  where  I  am. 
It  will  give  you  a  sweat  to  keep  up  with  me." 

**  Perhaps  so,"  replied  Lincoln,  looking  very  much 
as  if  he  did  not  believe  it.  The  actual  experiment 
proved  that  the  sweat  was  given  to  the  other  party. 

Lincoln  took  Flint  and  Gibson,  and  went  to  Minter 
Graham's,  the  schoolmaster,  out  of  the  village,  and 
spent  six  weeks  in  close  study.  Then  after  a  few 
lessons  in  the  field  with  Calhoun,  he  set  up  as  sur- 
veyor, and  soon  found  plenty  of  business,  and  good 
pay ;  and  his  friend  Green  concluded  that  the  chance  of 
his  making  a  lawyer  was  lost.  "  The  accuracy  of  his 
surveys  was  seldom,  if  ever,  questioned.  Disputes 
regarding  *  corners '  and  '  lines  '  were  frequently  sub- 
mitted to  his  arbitration  ;  and  the  decision  was  in- 
variably accepted  as  final." 

When  Abraham  had  leisure  time,  at  this  period  of 
his  life,  he  made  himself  very  useful.  His  sympathy 
for  the  unfortunate,  needy  and  suffering  grew  stronger 
from  year  to  year.  That  tumultuous  element  of 
society  that  prevailed  so  alarmingly  when  he  first  went 
to  New  Salem,  he  denounced  more  and  more.  When 
troubles  arose  between  two  or  more  parties,  he  would 


258       PTOXEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

Start  up  and  say.  "  Let's  go  and  stop  it."  Jack  Arm- 
strong had  not  lost  altogether  his  love  of  cruel  sport, 
such  as  he  indulged  in  when  the  ''  Clary  Grove  Boys  " 
were  in  power ;  and  he  bargained  with  a  drunken  fel- 
low, by  the  name  of  Jordan,  to  allow  Jack  to  put  him 
into  a  hogshead  and  roll  him  down  New  Salem  hill,  as 
once  the  "Boys"  did  with  Scanlon  and  Solomon 
Spears.  Jack  was  to  give  the  fellow  a  gallon  of  whis- 
key, expecting  to  get  more  than  the  value  of  several 
gallons  of  the  vile  stuff  in  fun  out  of  the  operation. 
When  Jack  had  the  hogshead  ready  at  the  top  of  the 
hill,  and  his  victim  was  waiting  to  be  headed  up 
within,  Abraham,  who  had  heard  of  the  affair,  came 
rushing  to  the  scene  of  action. 

"Jack!"  he  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "stop 
that  game  forthwith.  No  more  such  rascally  tricks  in 
New  Salem." 

Jack  cowered  and  looked  cheap.  "You'll  send 
Jordan  into  eternity  before  he  gets  to  the  foot  of  the 
hill,"  Abraham  continued.  "  You  must  stop  such 
cruelty,  or  you'll  feel  my  long  arms  around  you." 

"Only  a  little  fun,"  answered  Jack. 

"Fun!"  exclaimed  Abraham.  "There'll  be  no 
more  such  fun  in  New  Salem  so  long  as  I  live  here." 
And  there  was  not.  Jack  was  not  cruel,  and  he  was 
one  of  Abraham's  close  friends  ;  and  so  was  his  wife, 
Hannah.  She  said,  a  few  years  ago  :  "  Abe  would 
come  out  to  our  house,  about  three  miles,  drink  milk, 
eat  mush,  corn-bread  and  butter,  bring  the  children 
candy,  and  rock  the  cradle  while  I  got  him  something 
to  eat.  .  .  He  would  tend  babies  and  do  any  thing  to 
accommodate  anybody." 


UNSOUGHT  HONORS.  259 

On  a  cold  winter  day  he  saw  Ab  Trent  cutting  up 
an  old  house  for  Mr.  Hill  into  firewood.  Ab  was  bare- 
footed, and  shivered  with  the  cold. 

**What  do  you  get  for  that  job.''"  Abraham  in- 
quired. 

*'  One  dollar,"  replied  Ab  ;  **  I  want  a  pair  of  shoes," 
and  he  pointed  to  his  almost  frozen  feet. 

*'  Well,  give  me  your  axe,"  continued  Abraham, 
seizing  it,  **  and  you  clear  to  the  house  where  it  is 
warm." 

Ab  "cleared,"  glad  to  put  his  bare  feet  to  a  fire, 
and  Abraham  cut  up  the  "  house  "  so  quickly,  that 
*'  Ab  and  the  owner  were  both  amazed  when  they  saw 
it  done." 

About  this  time,  Henry  McHenry  had  a  horse-race, 
and  he  applied  to  Abraham  to  act  ^^  judge. 

"  No  ;  I've  done  with  that,"  replied  Abraham. 

"  But  you  must,"  urged  McHenry. 

"  I  must  not,  and  I  will  not,"  responded  Abraham, 
with  more  emphasis.  *'  This  horse-racing  business  is 
all  wrong." 

"Just  this  once;  never'll  ask  you  again,"  said  Mc- 
Henry. 

"Well,  remember,  *just  this  once'  it  is,"  was  Abra- 
ham's conclusion.  He  acted  as  judge,  and  decided 
correctly.  The  judge  for  the  other  side  said,  "  Lin- 
coln is  the  fairest  man  I  ever  had  to  deal  with  ;  if 
Lincoln  is  in  this  county  when  I  die,  I  want  him  to 
be  my  administrator,  for  he  is  the  only  man  I  ever 
met  with  that  was  wholly  and  unselfishly  honest." 
This  is  another  of  the  incidents  that  show  how  he 
came  to  be  known  as  "Honest  Abe." 


26o       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

James  Short,  who  Hved  four  miles  from  New  Salem, 
says  that  Abraham  often  came  to  his  house,  and,  if  it 
was  a  very  busy  time  on  the  farm,  *'Abe  would  pull  off 
his  roundabout  and  go  to  work  with  more  energy  than 
any  man  I  could  hire.  He  was  the  best  man  at  husk- 
ing corn  on  the  stock  I  ever  saw.  I  used  to  consider 
myself  very  good,  but  he  would  gather  two  loads  to 
my  one." 

In  1833,  President  Jackson  appointed  him  postmas- 
ter of  New  Salem,  because  he  was  better  qualified  for 
the  position  than  any  man  in  the  town.  The  post- 
office  was  kept  in  Mr.  Hill's  store,  the  proprietor  tak- 
ing charge  of  it  when  Lincoln  was  engaged  in  survey- 
ing or  other  business.  When  he  was  in  the  office,  he 
made  himself  useful  by  reading  letters  for  parties  who 
could  not  read.  He  read  all  the  newspapers  received 
at  the  office,  and  frequently  read  them  aloud  to  an 
ignorant  assembly  in  front  of  the  store. 

A  story  which  fastened  itself  to  him  in  manhood  was 
that,  when  he  was  Postmaster  in  New  Salem,  he  "  carried 
the  office  in  his  hat.''  Of  course  mail-matter  at  such 
an  office  was  light.  Few  letters  were  received  ;  and, 
sometimes,  when  Lincoln  was  going  out,  he  would  put 
the  letters  in  his  hat,  that  he  might  deliver  them  to 
the  parties  addressed,  should  he  meet  them  or  go  near 
their  residences.  This  novel  arrangement  discloses 
both  his  kindness  of  heart  and  fidelity  to  trusts. 


CHAPTER    XX. 
LAURELS    WON. 

lEMBERS  of  the  Legislature  served  two 
years  in  Illinois,  so  that  the  next  election 
occurred  in  1834.  Lincoln  was  a  candidate. 
There  was  a  Whig  party  then,  and  he  was  a 
member  of  it.  Yet  many  Democrats  supported  him 
in  the  contest,  so  that  he  was  elected  by  a  larger  ma- 
jority than  any  other  man  on  the  ticket. 

"  Who  is  this  man  Lincoln  I  hear  talked  about  for 
the  Legislature }  "  inquired  one  Dr.  Barrett,  who  was 
a  stranger  to  the  candidate,  but  a  friend  of  Herndon. 
The  question  was  put  to  the  latter. 

"  Go  to  Berlin  to-morrow,  and  you  will  learn  who  he 
is  ;  he  is  going  to  speak  there,"  Herndon  replied. 

Dr.  Barrett  was  there  promptly,  and  when  the  tall, 
awkward,  homely  candidate  was  pointed  out  by  Hern- 
don, he  said,  — 

"  Can 't  the  party  raise  any  better  material  than 
that ! " 

"Wait,"  answered  Herndon,  "until  you  hear  his 
speech  before  you  pass  judgment.  He  is  our  candi- 
date, and  good  material  enough  for  us." 

"  Well,  if  that  fellow  is  qualified  to  go  to  the  Legis- 


262       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

lature,  then  his  looks  belie  him  ;  that 's  all,"  continued 
Dr.  Barrett. 

He  soon  heard  his  speech,  however ;  and,  at  the 
conclusion  of  it,  Herndon  inquired,  — 

"  Doctor,  what  do  you  think  now } " 

"  I  give  it  up  now.  Why,  sir,  he  is  a  perfect  take- 
Jn,  —  he  knows  more  than  all  of  them  put  together." 

Lincoln  received  1,376  votes,  and  was  elected,  caus- 
ing great  joy  among  his  friends.  Many  who  did  not 
vote  for  him  were  perfectly  satisfied  with  his  election. 
Nor  did  he  resort  to  the  dishonorable  means  of  getting 
votes  which  some  candidates  employed,  such  as  fur- 
nishing a  grog-shop  for  their  use  on  election  day,  and 
paying  the  bills.  He  utterly  refused  to  promote  his 
own  election  by  proffering  the  intoxicating  cup, 
although  such  was  the  custom. 

The  time  between  the  election  and  the  assembling 
of  the  Legislature,  Lincoln  spent  in  very  close  study, 
that  he  might  be  better  qualified  to  discharge  his 
duties  in  the  State  House. 

One  thing  was  indispensable  if  he  would  make  a 
respectable  appearance  in  the  Legislature ;  he  must 
have  a  new  suit  of  clothes,  and  some  money  for  ex- 
penses —  much  more  than  he  possessed.  His  wants, 
in  this  respect,  were  supplied  in  the  following  provi- 
dential manner. 

When  he  had  charge  of  Offutt's  store,  in  1832,  a 
stranger  entered  one  morning,  and  introduced  himself 
as  Mr.  Smoot.  Lincoln  jumped  over  the  counter 
and  grasped  the  stranger's  hand  in  his  cordial  way, 
saying :  — 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Smoot.     I  have  heard  of  you 


LAURELS   WON.  263 


often,  but  never  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you 
before." 

*'  And  I  am  equally  glad  to  meet  you,  Abe  Lincoln," 
rejoined  Mr.  Smoot ;  "  I've  heard  so  much  about  you 
that  I  feel  acquainted  already." 

Lincoln  stood  surveying  him  from  head  to  foot, 
lookinsf  for  all  the  world  as  if  the  humor  within  him 
would  burst  out,  and  finally  remarked  :  — 

"  Smoot,  I  am  very  much  disappointed  in  -you  ;  I 
expected  to  see  a  scaly  specimen  of  humanity." 

Smoot,  equal  to  the  occasion,  replied  :  "  Yes  ;  and 
I  am  equally  disappointed,  for  I  expected  to  see  a 
good-looking  man  when  I  saw  you." 

This  laid  the  foundation  of  lasting  friendship  be- 
tween the  two  men ;  and,  when  Lincoln  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature,  and  needed  clothes  and  money,  he 
knew  that  Smoot  would  loan  him  the  amount.  Taking 
Hugh  Armstrong  with  him,  he  went  to  his  friend  and 
said :  — 

"  Smoot,  did  you  vote  for  me  ? " 

"Vote  for  you  }     Of  course  I  did." 

**  Well,  do  you  want  I  should  make  a  decent  appear- 
ance in  the  Legislature  ? "  added  Lincoln. 

"  Certainly  ;  I  don't  expect  you  '11  make  any  other 
,  appearance,  though  you  are  not  as  handsome  as  I  am," 
responded  Smoot,  humorously. 

"  Then  you  will  have  to  lend  me  some  money ;  I 
must  buy  some  decent  clothes." 

"  That  I  can  do  without  any  trouble  at  all ;  a 
nice  suit  of  clothes  may  make  a  handsome  man  of 
you,"  answered  Smoot.  "  How  much  money  do  you 
want?" 


264       PIOXEER  HOME    TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Two  hundred  dollars,  and  will  pay  you  at  the  close 
of  the  session." 

Smoot  lent  him  two  hundred  dollars  upon  his 
word  of  honor,  and  he  says,  "  Lincoln  returned  the 
amount  to  me  according  to  promise." 

About  this  time,  Lincoln  was  exposed  to  peculiar 
temptations  to  infidelity,  through  associates  and  books. 
Several  of  his  boon  companions  were  infidels ;  and 
they  made  light  of  religion  and  the  Bible.  At  the 
same  time  Paine's  "  Age  of  Reason,"  and  Volney's 
*'  Ruins,"  came  into  his  hands,  and  he  read  them  with 
avidity.  In  these  circumstances,  his  belief  in  the 
Scriptures  began  to  waver.  He  expressed  his  doubts 
freely  to  others.  He  discussed  the  matter  with  inti- 
mate friends  ;  and  finally,  he  wrote  an  essay  in  which 
his  doubts  of  the  divine  authenticity  of  the  Bible  were 
plainly  expressed. 

However,  this  proved  but  a  freak  of  humanity,  such 
as  often  appears  in  the  lives  of  smart  young  men ;  for 
his  essay  was  soon  cast  aside  forever ;  and  his  early 
familiarity  witJi^  and  confidence  in,  the  Scriptures, 
asserted  themselves,  as  the  sequel  v/ill  show. 

It  is  not  our  purpose  to  tell  what  "  Acts  and  Re- 
solves "  occupied  Lincoln's  attention,  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, during  the  session.  Other  things,  bearing  upon 
his  future  career,  demand  the  brief  space  we  can 
give  this  period.  We  may  say,  however,  that  he  was 
comparatively  a  silent  member,  observing  and  learn- 
ing, though  he  was  faithful  and  efficient  on  committees. 

It  was  during  the  sitting  of  the  Legislature  that 
Lincoln  decided  to  study  law,  without  waiting  to  be- 
come seven  feet  high.     It  was  on  this  wise. 


LAURELS   WON.  265 


He  was  thrown  much  into  the  society  of  Hon.  John 
T.  Stuart,  an  eminent  lawyer,  from  Springfield.  This 
gentleman  was  a  close  observer,  and  he  soon  discov- 
ered that  young  Lincoln  possessed  unusual  talents. 
He  had  no  doubt  that  he  would  make  his  mark,  if  he 
could  have  the  opportunity  ;  so  he  embraced  a  favor- 
able time  to  advise  him  about  studying  law. 

"  Have  you  ever  thought  of  studying  law  .-* "  Mr. 
Stuart  inquired,  in  a  delicate  manner. 

"  Never,  though  the  subject  has  been  named  to  me 
by  others,"  replied  Lincoln. 

*'  And  why  have  you  not  entertained  the  suggestion 
favorably  ? " 

"  Because  I  have  not  talents  enough  to  warrant  such 
a  decision  ;  and  then  I  have  no  means,  even  if  I  had 
the  talents." 

"  Perhaps  you  have  too  exalted  views  of  the  abilities 
required.  Let  us  see.  Is  there  anything  in  the  law 
so  intricate  as  to  demand  superior  talents }  Does  it 
require  more  ability  than  medicine  or  theology.?  No, 
I  think  you  will  say.  And  then,  if  it  did,  perhaps  the 
future  will  reveal  that  you  possess  the  talents  for  it." 

''  But  then,  a  poor  fellow  like  me,  with  no  friends  to 
aid,  can  hardly  think  of  going  through  a  long  course 
of  study." 

"  It  is  not  very  long  after  all,  and  there  need  not 
be  much  expense  about  it,  except  for  your  board  and 
clothes." 

"  How  can  that  be  t  " 

"  You  can  read  law  by  yourself,  working  at  your 
business  of  surveyor  enough  to  board  and  clothe  your- 
self, and  in  less  than  three  years  be  admitted  to  the 
bar." 


266       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

''But  books  are  expensive,  especially  law-books." 

''  Very  true  ;  but  that  difficulty  is  easily  remedied. 
You  shall  be  welcome  to  my  library.  Come  as  often 
as  you  please,  and  carry  away  as  many  books  as  you 
please,  and  keep  them  as  long  as  you  please." 

"  You  are  very  generous,  indeed.  I  could  never  re- 
pay you  for  such  generosity." 

'*  I  don't  ask  any  pay,  my  dear  sir,"  responded  Mr. 
Stuart,  shaking  his  sides  with  laughter.  "And  if  I 
did,  it  would  be  pay  enough  to  see  you  pleading  at  the 
bar." 

"  I  am  almost  frightened  at  the  thought  of  appear- 
ing there,"  added  Lincoln. 

*'  You'd  soon  get  over  your  fright,  I  reckon,  and 
bless  your  stars  that  you  followed  the  advice  of  John 
T.  Stuart." 

*'  I  dare  say." 

"Only  think  of  it,"  continued  Mr.  Stuart;  "a 
brighter  prospect  is  before  you  than  hundreds  of  dis- 
tinguished men  enjoyed  in  early  life,  on  account  of  the 
advantages  offered  to  you.  You  are  a  *  Clay  man,'  and 
you  now  have  the  offer  of  better  opportunities  to  rise 
than  he  had  when  he  left  his  mother's  log  cabin.  All 
the  schooling  he  ever  enjoyed  was  in  his  boyhood, 
when  he  went  to  school  to  Peter  Deacon,  in  a  log 
school-house  without  a  window  or  floor.  All  the 
learning  he  acquired  after  that  was  by  industry  and 
perseverance,  improving  every  leisure  moment,  and 
extending  his  studies  far  into  the  night." 

"  I  don't  see  but  he  had  as  good  advantages  in  his 
early  life  as  I  did,"  interrupted  Lincoln. 

"  That  is  so ;  and  there  is  much  in  your  history  that 


LAURELS   WON.  267 


reminds  me  of  his.  I  suppose  that  is  what  suggested 
the  comparison  to  me.  You  have  a  right  to  be  a  *  Clay 
man.'  One  would  scarcely  have  thought,  when  he 
was  seen  riding  his  mother's  old  horse,  without  a  sad- 
dle, and  with  a  rope  for  a  bridle,  on  his  way  to  mill 
with  a  grist  on  the  horse's  back,  that  he  —  'The  Mill 
Boy  of  the  Slashes,'  as  he  was  called  —  would  become 
one  of  the  most  renowned  men  of  the  land." 

"  That  is  so  ;  and  I  admire  the  man  for  his  noble 
efforts  to  rise  in  the  world.  He  made  himself  just 
what  he  became,"  said  Lincoln. 

"  And  that  is  what  you,  and  every  other  young  man, 
will  do,  if  you  ever  make  a  mark.  *  Self-made,  or  never 
made,'  is  the  adage.  It  is  of  little  consequence  what 
advantages  a  youth  possesses,  unless  he  is  disposed  to 
improve  them  ;  and  I  am  almost  of  the  opinion  that  it 
matters  but  little  how  few  the  privileges  a  young  man 
enjoys,  if  he  only  possesses  the  energy  and  industry 
to  make  the  most  of  them." 

**  And  the  ability,  you  might  add,"  suggested  Lin- 
coln. 

"Perhaps  so,  if  you  choose.  But  the  history  of  our 
country  abounds  with  examples  of  these  self-made 
men,  as  poor  and  unknown  as  Henry  Clay  was.  But 
now  I  must  go ;  remember  my  counsel,  and  decide 
rightly." 

''  Many  thanks  for  your  interest,"  answered  Lincoln. 
"  I  shall  ponder  the  subject,  and  feel  grateful  to  you, 
whether  I  decide  as  you  recommend  or  not." 

Lincoln  decided  to  study  law.  He  concluded  that 
he  must  possess  some  ability  for  the  legal  profession 
when  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Stuart  advised  him  to  enter 


26S       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

it.  More  than  any  other  influence,  the  counsel  of  Mr. 
Stuart  determined  him  to  become  a  lawyer. 

There  was  much  joy  among  Lincoln's  friends  in 
New  Salem  when  they  learned  of  his  wise  decision. 
All  were  ready  to  render  him  any  assistance  possible. 
His  own  familiar  associates  soon  found  that  his  studies 
would  interfere  constantly  with  that  social  intercourse 
which  they  had  enjoyed  so  much.  To  pursue  his 
studies,  while  earning  a  livelihood  by  surveying,  would 
require  an  amount  of  industry,  perseverance  and  self- 
denial  of  which  they  understood  but  little. 

"  I  am  as  fond  of  society  as  either  of  you,"  remarked 
Lincoln  to  several  of  his  companions  who  were  discuss- 
ing the  question  together  at  one  time;  "but  I  must 
deny  myself  this  enjoyment,  if  I  would  succeed  in  my 
plans.  It  is  pretty  clear  that  I  must  do  two  things  :  I 
must  practise  economy  of  time  and  money,  and  be  as 
industrious  as  possible." 

"  A  solemn  view  of  the  future,"  remarked  Alley,  in 
a  pla}^ul  way. 

"  And  a  correct  one,  too,  I  guess,"  said  Green. 

"  Correct  or  not,"  responded  Lincoln,  "  it  is  the 
course  I  have  mapped  out  for  myself,  and  I  must  not 
depart  from  it." 

This  decision  was  in  response  to  an  appeal  to  engage 
in  a  definite  pastime  that  would  interrupt  his  studies 
for  a  whole  evening. 

"  I  shall  walk  to  Springfield  and  back  to-morrow," 
he  continued.  "  Esquire  Stuart  has  offered  to  loan 
me  law-books,  and  I  shall  go  for  some  to-morrow." 

Here  is  an  illustration  of  his  self-denial,  and  the 
decision  with  which  he  adhered  to  his  purpose.     He 


LAURELS   WON.  269 


canvassed  the  whole  subject  in  the  beginning,  and  he 
resolved  to  spend  no  evenings  in  social  entertain- 
ments. He  saw  that  he  must  do  it  from  sheer  neces- 
sity, as  he  would  be  obliged  to  use  up  the  night  hours 
much  more  economically  than  the  laws  of  health 
would  permit.  And  now  he  was  inflexible.  His  pur- 
pose was  fixed,  and  no  allurements  or  promises  of 
pleasure  could  make  him  swerve  a  hair's  breadth 
therefrom. 

Springfield  was  twenty-two  miles  from  New  Salem, 
and  yet  Lincoln  walked  there  and  back  on  the  day 
proposed.  He  made  a  long  day  of  it,  and  a  wearisome 
one,  too.  On  the  following  evening  Green  called  upon 
him,  to  learn  how  he  succeeded. 

"  What !  "  he  exclaimed.  *'  Did  you  bring  all  these 
books  home  in  your  arms  .-*"  They  were  Blackstone's 
Commentaries,  in  four  volumes. 

"  Yes  ;  and  read  forty  pages  of  the  first  volume  on 
the  way,"  Lincoln  replied.  "  Come,  now,  just  examine 
me  on  the  first  volume." 

He  had  a  faculty  of  perusing  a  volume  when  he  was 
walking,  and  he  often  did  it.     He  gained  time  thereby. 

*'  I  don't  see  what  you  are  made  of  to  endure  so," 
continued  Green.  "  It  would  use  me  all  up  to  carry 
such  a  load  a  quarter  part  of  that  distance." 

"  I  am  used  to  it,  you  know,  and  that  makes  the 
difference.  But,  come,  just  see  what  I  know  about 
the  first  part  of  that  volume."  And  he  passed  the 
first  volume  to  him. 

"  If  you  pass  muster,  you'll  want  I  should  admit  you 
to  the  bar,  I  suppose,"  responded  Green.  "  That  I 
shall  be  glad  to  do." 


2/0       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


So  he  proceeded  to  examine  Lincoln  on  the  first 
volume  ;  and  he  found,  to  his  surprise,  that  he  was  well 
posted  on  the  forty  pages  read.  By  his  close  atten- 
tion, and  the  ability  to  concentrate  his  thoughts,  he 
readily  made  what  he  read  his  own. 

Thus  Lincoln  began  and  continued  the  study  of 
law,  alternating  his  time  between  surveying  and  study, 
going  to  Springfield  for  books  as  often  as  it  was  neces- 
sary, and  often  pursuing  his  reading  of  law  far  into  the 
night. 

With  such  devotion  did  he  employ  his  time  in  study 
and  manual  labor,  denying  himself  much  that  young 
men  generally  consider  essential,  that  he  might  have 
said,  as  Cicero  said  of  himself  :  ''What  others  give  to 
public  shows  and  entertainments,  to  festivity,  to 
amusements,  nay,  even  to  mental  and  bodily  rest,  I 
give  to  study  and  philosophy."  Even  when  he  was 
engaged  in  the  fields  surveying,  his  thoughts  were 
upon  his  books,  so  that  much  which  he  learned  at 
night  was  fastened  in  his  mind  by  day.  He  might 
have  adopted  the  language  of  Cicero  concerning  him- 
self :  "  Even  my  leisure  hours  have  their  occupation." 

Sometimes  he  was  engaged  days  and  weeks  together 
in  surveying,  having  only  his  nights  in  which  to 
study  ;  and  then,  again,  he  had  both  day  and  night  to 
give  to  his  books  for  a  time.  Nor  did  his  interest 
abate  in  the  least ;  it  rather  increased  than  otherwise. 
The  longer  he  studied,  the  more  deeply  absorbed 
he  became  in  his  books.  His  robust  physical  con- 
stitution enabled  h*im  to  endure  hard  toil  both  of 
body  and  mind,  otherwise  he  would  have  broken 
down. 


LAURELS  WOX.  27 1 


He  served  his  constituents  so  faithfully  in  the  Leg- 
islature, that  he  was  renominated  for  the  position 
in  1836.  He  had  grown  so  rapidly  in  mental  power, 
that,  in  this  campaign,  his  speeches  were  of  high 
order.  R.  L,  Wilson,  who  was  a  Representative  elect 
with  Lincoln,  says  :  — 

''  The  Saturday  evening  preceding  the  election,  the 
candidates  were  addressing  the  people  in  the  Court 
House  at  Springfield.  Dr.  Early,  one  of  the  candi- 
dates on  the  Democratic  side,  made  some  charge  that 
N.  W.  Edwards,  one  of  the  candidates  on  the  Whig 
side,  deemed  untrue.  Edwards  climbed  on  a  table,  so 
as  to  be  seen  by  Early  and  by  every  one  in  the  house, 
and  at  the  top  of  his  voice  told  Early  that  the  charge 
was  false.  The  excitement  that  followed  was  intense, 
—  so  much  so,  that  fighting  men  thought  a  duel  must 
settle  the  difficulty.  Mr.  Lincoln,  by  the  programme, 
followed  Early.  He  took  up  the  subject  in  dispute, 
and  handled  it  fairly,  and  with  such  ability,  that  every 
one  was  astonished  and  pleased.  So  that  difficulty 
ended  there.  Then  for  the  first  time,  developed  by 
the  excitement  of  the  occasion,  he  spoke  in  that  tenor 
intonation  of  voice,  that  ultimately  settled  down  into 
a  clear,  shrill,  monotonous  style  of  speaking,  that 
enabled  his  audience,  however  large,  to  hear  distinctly 
the  lowest  sound  of  his  voice." 

Lincoln  was  followed  in  that  meeting  by  George 
Forquer,  who  was  a  prominent  Whig  member  of  the 
Legislature  in  1834,  but  left  his  party  for  the  sake  of 
getting  the  berth  of  Register  of  the  Land  Office  at 
Springfield.  He  was  a  wily  politician,  ready  to 
change  front  at  any  time,  and  to  resort  to  political 


2/2       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

tricks  for  the  sake  of  office.  Forquer  assailed  Lincoln 
bitterly,  and  began  his  speech  by  saying,  "the  young 
man  must  be  taken  down."  Lincoln  stood  by  and 
listened  to  every  word.  As  soon  as  Forquer  closed 
his  tirade,  Lincoln  mounted  the  platform,  and  replied 
"with  great  dignity  and  force,"  closing  his  speech 
thus : — 

"  The  gentleman  says  *  this  young  man  must  be 
taken  down.'  It  is  for  you,  not  for  me,  to  say  whether 
I  am  up  or  down.  The  gentleman  has  alluded  to  my 
being  a  young  man ;  I  am  older  in  years  than  I  am  in 
the  tricks  and  trades  of  politicians.  I  desire  to  live, 
and  I  desire  place  and  distinction  as  a  politician  ;  but 
I  would  rather  die  now,  than,  like  the  gentleman,  live 
to  see  the  day  that  I  would  have  to  erect  a  lightning- 
rod  to  protect  a  guilty  conscience  from  an  offended 
God."  This  termination  of  his  speech  convulsed  the 
audience,  and  they  roared  with  laughter,  and  cheered, 
at  Forquer's  expense. 

In  the  Legislature  of  1836-37,  Lincoln  found  him- 
self associated  with  many  men  who  became  great  in 
public  life  thereafter — Stephen  A.  Douglas,  James 
Shields,  John  A.  McClernand,  Dan  Stone,  Edward  D. 
Baker,  John  J.  Hardin,  and  a  dozen  others  of  equal 
ability. 

There  were  nine  Representatives  from  Sangamon 
County,  and  not  one  of  them  was  less  than  six  feet 
high.  Lincoln  was  the  tallest  of  the  number.  Mem- 
bers of  the  Legislature  dubbed  them  "The  Long 
Nine ; "  and  they  said,  "  Lincoln  is  the  longest." 

Lincoln's  second  term  in  the  Legislature  brought 
him    face   to   face  with    the    Slavery    question.     The 


LAURELS  WON.  273 


"  Abolitionists "  had  been  busily  at  work,  scattering 
anti-slavery  literature  North  and  South,  lecturing  in 
the  Free  States  upon  the  sin  and  curse  of  Slavery, 
and  agitating  the  subject  in  every  possible  way.  The 
State  governments,  even  at  the  North,  were  bent  on 
suppressing  these  "agitators,"  as  they  were  called. 
Even  the  governors  of  Massachusetts  and  New  York 
denounced  them,  as  if  they  were  more  dangerous  than 
horse-thieves.  The  bitterest  feeling  prevailed  against 
them  in  Illinois ;  and  one  of  their  leaders,  Rev.  E.  P. 
Lovejoy,  who  published  an  anti-slavery  paper  at 
Alton,  in  that  State,  was  shot  while  defending  his 
printing-office  against  the  attacks  of  a  pro-slavery 
mob. 

In  these  circumstances,  the  Democratic  party  of 
Illinois,  largely  in  the  majority  in  the  Legislature, 
waxed  bold  and  violent.  In  the  great  excitement 
they  introduced  a  series  of  resolutions  against  "abo- 
litionists," and  in  favor  of  Slavery,  that  would  have 
been  a  disgrace  to  any  Slave  State.  They  sought  to 
intimidate  and  lash  the  Whigs  into  the  support  of  the 
infamous  measures ;  and  they  succeeded  with  most  of 
them  except  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  denounced  the 
resolutions  and  the  party  which  introduced  them.  He 
spoke  against  them,  and  voted  against  them  ;  and  he 
drew  one  Whig  to  his  side  —  Dan  Stone  —  who  stood 
with  him  fearlessly  to  the  end.  And  when  the  House 
finally  adopted  them,  these  two  members  presented  a 
carefully  prepared  protest  against  the  measure,  as 
"injustice"  and  "bad  policy,"  and  asked  to  have  it 
entered,  in  their  name,  upon  the  journal  of  the  House. 
His  good  fight  for  Freedom  in  the  House,  from  1836 


274       PIOXEER  HO}TE    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

to  1838,  put  him  before  the  State  and  the  country 
as  a  fearless  and  powerful  opponent  of  the  slave 
system. 

It  was  during  this  legislative  term  that  an  act  was 
passed,  removing  the  capital  from  Vandalia  to  Spring- 
field ;  and  the  prime  mover  in  it  was  Lincoln.  To 
him  was  credited  the  success  of  the  measure,  which 
proved  of  great  value  to  the  State. 

Lincoln  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1837,  and,  soon 
after,  removed  to  Springfield,  and  became  the  partner 
of  John  T.  Stuart,  his  benefactor,  in  the  practice  of 
law,  and  he  boarded  with  Hon.  William  Butler.  In 
New  Salem,  for  two  years  before,  "  he  wrote  deeds, 
contracts,  notes,  and  other  legal  papers  for  his  neigh- 
bors ;  and  '  pettifogged '  before  the  justice  of  the  peace ; 
but  in  all  this  he  was  only  trying  himself,  and  never 
charged  a  penny  for  his  services." 

In  1838,  he  was  elected,  for  a  third  term,  to  the 
House  of  Representatives,  by  a  larger  majority  than 
ever.  He  was  candidate  for  Speaker  at  this  term ;  but 
the  Democrats  being  largely  in  the  ascendancy  elected 
their  candidate.  An  incident  is  related  by  Mr.  Wilson, 
connected  with  the  campaign  that  preceded  the  elec- 
tion of  1838,  illustrative  of  Lincoln's  decided  temper- 
ance principles.  Mr.  Wilson  accompanied  him  in  his 
stumping  tours,  and  he  says:  "At  that  time  it  was 
the  universal  custom  to  keep  some  whiskey  in  the 
house,  for  private  use  and  to  treat  friends.  The  sub- 
ject was  always  mentioned  as  a  matter  of  etiquette, 
but  with  the  remark  to  Mr.  Lincoln:  'You  never 
drink,  but  may  be  your  friend  would  like  to  take  a  lit- 
tle.'    I  never  saw  Mr.  Lincoln  drink.     He  often  told 


LAURELS  WON.  275 


me  that  he  never  drank ;  had  no  desire  to  drink,  nor 
for  the  companionship  of  drinking  men." 

During  that  campaign,  a  dinner  was  tendered  to  the 
"  Long  Nine,"  at  Athens  ;  where,  in  response  to  the 
toast,  "  Abraham  Lincoln,  one  of  Nature's  noble- 
men," he  deHvered  one  of  his  ablest  speeches.  It  was 
universally  agreed  that  the  toast  was  a  deserved  com- 
pliment. 

Before  Lincoln  removed  to  Springfield,  he  was  in- 
vited by  the  **  Young  Men's  Lyceum  "  of  that  town, 
to  deliver  a  literary  lecture  before  them.  The  invita- 
tion shows  that  he  had  won  a  wide  reputation,  although 
he  was  only  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  and  only  six 
years  removed  from  the  log-cabin  that  he  built  for  his 
father  in  Macon  County.  His  subject,  on  that  occa- 
sion, was  :  '^  The  Perpetuation  of  Our  Free  Institu- 
tions." He  handled  it  in  a  manner  that  showed  the 
familiarity  of  a  statesman  with  the  genius  and  history 
of  Republican  institutions. 

Lincoln  was  re-elected  once  more  to  the  House  of 
Representatives  in  1840.  The  campaign  was  a  very 
hot  one,  the  Democrats  in  several  localities  making 
violent  demonstrations.  Colonel  E.  D,  Baker  was 
making  a  speech  to  a  promiscuous  assembly  in  the 
court-room  at  Springfield,  when  the  Democrats  pro- 
posed to  ''  pull  him  off  the  stage."  A  riot  was  impend- 
ing, when  Lincoln  threw  himself  between  his  friend 
and  the  audience,  exclaiming  :  — 

**  Gentlemen  !  let  us  not  disgrace  the  age  and 
country  in  which  we  live.  This  is  a  land  where  free- 
dom of  speech  is  guaranteed.  Mr.  Baker  has  a  right  to 
speak,  and  ought  to  be  permitted  to  do  so.      I  am  here 


2/6       PIOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

to  protect  him,  and  no  man  shall  take  him  from  this 
stand,  if  I  can  prevent  it."  Mr.  Baker  proceeded 
without  interruption  thereafter. 

There  was  a  very  troublesome  member  in  that 
Legislature  from  Wabash  County.  He  was  frequently 
upon  his  feet  opposing  measures  on  the  ground  of 
**  unconstitutionality."  His  stereotyped  cry  against  this 
and  that  measure  was  "unconstitutional."  Lincoln 
was  deputed  to  silence  him  ;  and  he  soon  enjoyed  the 
opportunity.  A  measure  was  introduced,  in  which 
Lincoln's  constituents  were  specially  interested.  The 
member  from  Wabash  immediately  arose,  and  ex- 
pended his  utmost  energies  upon  its  "unconstitutional" 
features,  although  others  could  not  discover  them.  Mr. 
Lincoln  arose  and  said  :  — 

"  Mr.  Speaker,  the  attack  of  the  member  from  Wabash 
upon  the  unconstitutionality  of  this  measure  reminds 
me  of  an  old  friend  of  mine.  He  is  a  peculiar-looking 
old  fellow,  with  shaggy,  overhanging  eyebrows,  and  a 
pair  of  spectacles  under  them.  (Here  every  member 
turned  to  the  man  from  Wabash,  and  recognized 
a  personal  description.)  One  morning,  just  after  the 
old  man  got  up,  he  imagined  he  saw  a  squirrel  on  a 
tree  near  his  house.  So  he  took  down  his  rifle,  and 
fired  at  the  squirrel,  but  the  squirrel  paid  no  attention 
to  the  shot.  He  loaded  and  fired  again  and  again, 
until,  at  the  thirteenth  shot,  he  set  down  his  gun 
impatiently,  and  said  to  his  boy,  who  was  looking  on, 
*■  Boy,  there's  something  wrong  about  this  rifle. '  *  Rifle's 
all  right,  I  know  'tis,'  responded  the  boy,  '  but  where's 
your  squirrel  ?'  'Don't  you  see  him,  humped  up  about 
half-way  up  the  tree } '  inquired  the  old  man,  peering 


LAURELS  WON.  277 


over  his  spectacles,  and  getting  mystified.  *No,  I 
don't,'  responded  the  boy  ;  and  then  turning  and  look- 
ing into  his  father's  face,  he  exclaimed,  *I  see  your 
squirrel.  You've  been  firing  at  a  louse  on  your  eye- 
brow ! '  " 

The  House  was  convulsed  with  laughter,  and  the 
member  from  Wabash  dropped  his  ''unconstitutional" 
dodge. 

Mr.  Lincoln  grew  rapidly  in  public  favor  as  a  lawyer, 
and  within  ten  years  after  he  left  his  log-cabin  home, 
in  Macon  County,  citizens  of  Springfield  would  point 
him  out  to  strangers  on  the  street,  and  say  :  "  One  of 
the  ablest  lawyers  in  Illinois." 

His  partnership  with  Mr.  Stuart  terminated  in 
1840,  and  he  soon  after  associated  himself  with  Judge 
S.  T.  Logan.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Todd,  daughter 
of  Honorable  Robert  S.  Todd  of  Lexington,  Kentucky, 
in  1842,  when  he  was  thirty-three  years  of  age. 
The  fruits  of  this  marriage  were  four  sons,  viz. 
Robert,  Edwards,  William,  and  Thomas.  Edwards 
died  in  infancy ;  William  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years 
in  Washington  ;  Thomas  died  in  Illinois  at  the  age  of 
twenty ;  and  Robert  is  now  our  honored  secretary 
of  war  at  Washington. 

Soon  after  his  marriage  he  wrote  two  letters,  which 
so  reveal  his  strong  friendships  as  well  as  his  simplicity 
of  character,  that  we  quote  a  brief  extract  from  each. 
The  fil-st  he  wrote  to  his  old  friend,  J.  F.  Speed  of 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  in  addition  to  the  character- 
istics of  the  man  which  it  reveals,  it  discloses  some- 
what his  humble  mode  of  living.  '*  We  are  not  keep- 
ing house,  but  boarding  at  the  Globe  Tavern,  which  is 


2;8        PIONEER   HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

very  well  kept  now  by  a  widow  by  the  name  of  Beck. 
Boarding  only  costs  four  dollars  a  week.  I  most 
heartily  wish  you  and  your  Fanny  will  not  fail  to  come. 
Just  let  us  know  the  time  a  week  in  advance,  and  we 
will  have  a  room  prepared  for  you,  and  we  '11  be  merry 
too-ether  for  a  while." 

The  other  letter  was  penned  to  newly  married 
friends  in  another  State,  about  a  month  after  his  own 
marriage.  "I  have  no  way  of  telling  you  how  much 
happiness  I  wish  you  both,  though  I  believe  you  both 
can  conceive  it.  I  feel  somewhat  jealous  of  both  of  you 
now,  for  you  will  be  so  exclusively  concerned  for  one 
another,  that  I  shall  be  forgotten  entirely.  I  regret 
to  learn  that  you  have  resolved  not  to  return  to 
Illinois  :  I  shall  be  very  lonesome  without  you.  How 
miserably  things  seem  to  be  arranged  in  this  world  !  If 
we  have  no  friends  we  have  no  pleasure,  and  if  we 
have  them,  we  are  sure  to  lose  them,  and  be  doubly 
pained  by  the  loss.  I  did  hope  she  and  you  would 
make  your  home  here,  yet  I  own  I  have  no  right  to 
insist.  You  owe  obligations  to  her  ten  thousand  times 
more  sacred  than  any  you  can  owe  to  others,  and  in 
that  light  let  them  be  respected  and  observed.  It  is 
natural  that  she  should  desire  to  remain  with  her  rela- 
tives and  friends.  As  to  friends,  she  could  not  need 
them  anywhere  :  —  she  would  have  them  in  abundance 
here.  Write  me  often,  and  believe  me,  yours  forever, 
Lincoln."  His  heart  was  in  his  pen,  as  it  usually  was 
in  his  hand. 


Mary  T.  Lincolx. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

A   SUCCESSFUL   LAWYER. 

[HEN  Lincoln  commenced  the  practice  of  law 
he  was  too  poor  to  own  a  horse  and  saddle- 
bags.    He  was  obliged  to  borrow  this  outfit 
of  a  friend,  until  he  scraped  together  enough 
money  to  purchase  one. 

*' But  why  did  he  need  a  horse  and  saddle-bags?" 
the  reader  will  ask. 

At  that  time,  the  Court  went  to  the  clients  instead 
of  the  clients  going  to  the  Court.  That  is,  Court 
business  was  laid  out  in  Circuits  ;  and  the  Court  trav- 
elled from  place  to  place,  holding  sessions,  and  trans- 
acting such  business  as  the  locality  brought  to  it. 
Lincoln  was  in  the  "  Eighth  Judicial  Circuit  "  of 
Illinois ;  and  for  several  years  travelled  over  it  on 
horseback,  with  no  other  outfit  than  the  contents  of 
his  saddle-bags  and  a  cotton  umbrella.  A  longer  or 
shorter  period  was  occupied  in  completing  the  "Cir- 
cuit," according  to  the  amount  of  business  brought  to 
the  Court.  Lincoln  was  sometimes  absent  three 
months  from  home  on  the  Circuit.  During  one  of 
these  long  absences,  his  wife  had  a  second  story  and 
new  roof  put  upon  their  house,  as  a  surprise  to  him. 


28o        PIONEER   HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

It  was  nicely  finished  when  he  returned.  Coming  in 
front  of  his  old  home,  he  sat  upon  his  horse  surveying 
the  changed  habitation,  and  pretending  not  to  recog- 
nize it,  he  called  to  a  man  across  the  street : — 

"Stranger,  can  you  tell  me  where  Lincoln  lives? 
He  used  to  live  here." 

When  he  got  a  little  more  of  this  world's  goods, 
he  set  up  a  one-horse  buggy,  —  a  very  sorry  and  shabby- 
looking  aEair,  which  he  generally  used  when  the  weather 
promised  to  be  bad.  But  the  lawyers  were  always  glad 
to  see  him,  and  the  landlords  hailed  his  coming  with 
pleasure. 

Honesty,  kindness,  generosity,  fairness,  justice,  and 
kindred  qualities,  distinguished  him  in  the  practice  of 
law.  A  whole  volume  of  incidents  might  be  related, 
illustrating  these  qualities  of  the  man,  but  a  few  only 
can  be  given. 

A  stranger  called  to  secure  his  services. 

*'  State  your  case,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln.  The  man 
stated  it  at  considerable  length,  when  Lincoln  sur- 
prised him  by  saying  :  — 

"  I  cannot  serve  you  ;  for  you  are  wrong  and  the 
other  party  is  right." 

"That  is  none  of  your  business,  if  I  hire  and  pay  you 
for  taking  the  case,"  retorted  the  man. 

"  Not  my  business  !  "  exclaimed  Lincoln.  "  My 
business  is  never  to  defend  wrong  if  I  am  a  lawyer. 
I  never  take  a  case  that  is  manifestly  wrong." 

"  Well,  you  can  make  trouble  for  the  fellow,"  added 
the  applicant. 

"Yes,"  responded  Lincoln,  "  there  is  no  reasonable 
doubt  but  that  I  can  gain  the  case  for  you.    I  can  set  a 


A   SUCCESSFUL   LAWYER.  28 1 

whole  neighborhood  at  loggerheads  ;  I  can  distress  a 
widowed  mother  and  her  six  fatherless  children,  and 
thereby  get  for  you  six  hundred  dollars,  which  right- 
fully belongs  as  much  to  the  woman  and  her  children 
as  it  does  to  you.     But  I  won't  do  it." 

"  Not  for  any  amount  of  pay  .-*  "  inquired  the  man. 

"Not  for  all  you  are  worth,"  replied  Lincoln.  "You 
must  remember  that  some  things  which  are  legally 
right  are  not  morally  right.  I  shall  not  take  your 
case." 

"I  don't  care  a  snap  whether  you  do  or  not,"  angrily 
replied  the  man,  starting  to  go ;  "  there  are  other  law- 
yers in  the  State." 

"  I'll  give  you  a  piece  of  advice  without  charge," 
added  Lincoln.  "You  seem  to  be  a  sprightly,  ener- 
getic man.  I  would  advise  you  to  try  your  hand  at 
making  six  hundred  dollars  some  other  way." 

One  afternoon  an  old  colored  woman  came  into  the 
office  of  Lincoln  and  Herndon  *  to  tell  her  sad  story. 
She  was  once  the  slave  of  one  Hinkle  in  Kentucky, 
who  brought  herself  and  children  into  Illinois,  and 
made  them  free.  Her  son  had  gone  down  to  New 
Orleans  on  a  steamer,  and  very  imprudently  went 
ashore,  when  the  police  arrested  him,  under  a  State 
law  that  authorized  the  seizure  and  sale  of  free  negroes 
from  other  States ;  and  he  would  be  sold  back  into 
slavery  unless  immediately  redeemed.  Lincoln's  sym- 
pathetic nature  was  deeply  stirred,  and  his  indignation 
was  also  aroused. 

"Run  over  to  the  State  House  and  ask  Governor 

*  Lincoln  terminated  partnership  with  Judo;e  Logan  in  1845, 
and  then  associated  himself  with  William  H,  Herndon,  Esq. 


282        PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Bissell  if  something  cannot  be  done  to  obtain  pos- 
session of  the  negro,"  he  said  to  Mr.  Herndon. 

The  inquiry  was  soon  made,  and  Herndon  returned 
to  say:  "The  governor  says  that  he  has  no  legal  or 
constitutional  right  to  do  anything  in  the  premises." 

Lincoln  was  thoroughly  aroused  by  this  feature  of 
inhumanity  which  the  legal  status  disclosed,  and  start- 
ing to  his  feet,  and  raising  his  long,  right  arm  heaven- 
ward, he  exclaimed:  — 

"  By  the  Almighty's  help,  I'll  have  the  negro  back 
soon,  or  I'll  have  a  twenty  years'  agitation  in  Illinois, 
until  the  governor  does  have  a  legal  and  constitutional 
right  to  do  something  in  the  premises." 

He  and  his  partner  immediately  sent  money  of  their 
own  to  a  New  Orleans  correspondent,  who  procured 
the  negro  and  returned  him  to  his  mother. 

A  person  applied  to  Colonel  E.  D.  Baker,  who  after- 
wards became  United  States  Senator  from  Oregon, 
for  aid  in  behalf  of  a  fugitive  slave. 

"I'm  sorry  that  I  cannot  serve  you,"  Colonel  Baker 
replied  ;  "  I  should  be  glad  to  help  the  fugitive,  but, 
as  a  political  man,  I  cannot  afford  it." 

The  applicant  then  sought  the  advice  of  an  ardent 
anti-slavery  friend,  who  said  :  — 

"Go  to  Lincoln;  he's  not  afraid  of  an  unpopular 
case.  When  I  go  for  a  lawyer  to  defend  an  arrested 
fugitive  slave,  other  lawyers  will  refuse  me,  but  if  Mr. 
Lincoln  is  at  home,  he  will  always  take  my  case." 

Judge  Treat  furnishes  the  following  :  — 

"A  case  being  called  for  hearing  in  the  court,  Mr. 
Lincoln  stated  that  he  appeared  for  the  appellant,  and 
was  ready  to  proceed  with  the  argument.     He  then 


A   SUCCESSFUL  LAWYER.  283 

said  :  *  This  is  the  first  case  I  have  ever  had  in  this 
court,  [it  was  just  after  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States,  Dec.  3d,  1839,] 
and  I  have  therefore  examined  it  with  great  care.  As 
the  court  will  perceive,  by  looking  at  the  abstract  of 
the  record,  the  only  question  in  the  case  is  one  of 
authority.  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  authority 
to  sustain  my  side  of  the  case,  but  I  Jiave  foiuid  several 
cases  directly  in  point  on  the  other  side.  I  will  now 
give  these  cases,  and  then  submit  the  case.' " 

One  lawyer,  who  could  not  understand  that  the 
true  purpose  of  a  court  is  to  "establish  justice,"  re- 
marked, "The  fellow  is  crazy." 

Once,  in  a  closely-contested  civil  suit,  he  found  him- 
self upon  the  wrong  side  of  the  case.  His  client  had 
misrepresented  the  case,  being  "  a  slippery  fellow." 
Lincoln  succeeded  in  proving  an  account  for  his  client, 
when  the  opposing  attorney  then  '*  proved  a  receipt 
covering  the  entire  cause  of  action."  By  the  time  he 
was  through,  Lincoln  had  disappeared  from  the  court- 
room. The  court  sent  to  the  hotel  for  him.  "  Tell 
the  Judge,"  said  Lincoln,  "that  I  can't  come:  tny 
hands  are  dirty ^  and  L  came  over  to  clean  them.'' 

In  the  celebrated  Patterson  trial,  a  case  of  murder, 
Lincoln  and  Swett  were  counsel  for  the  accused. 
After  hearing  the  testimony,  Lincoln  was  satisfied 
that  the  accused  was  guilty,  and  calling  his  colleague 
into  another  room,  he  said  :  — 

"Swett,  the  man  is  guilty." 

"  No  doubt  about  that,"  Swett  replied. 

"And  you  must  defend  him;  I  can't." 

Swett  promised  to  do  it,  and  he  did  it  so  well  that 


284       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  saved  the  guilty  man  from  justice.  They  received 
a  thousand  dollars  for  services ;  but  Lincoln  declined 
to  take  a  cent  of  it. 

At  another  time,  he  was  defending  a  man  indicted 
for  larceny ;  and,  being  satisfied  by  the  evidence  that 
the  accused  was  guilty,  he  called  aside  his  colleagues, 
Parks  and  Young,  and  said  :  "  He  is  guilty.  If  you 
can  say  anything  for  him,  do  it  ;  I  can't.  If  I  attempt, 
the  jury  will  see  that  I  think  he  is  guilty,  and  convict 
him,  of  course." 

He  conducted  a  suit  against  a  railroad  company,  and 
damages  were  awarded  to  him.  The  railroad  com- 
pany proved,  and  the  court  allowed,  a  certain  offset ; 
and  when  the  court  was  footing  the  amount,  Lincoln 
arose  and  stated  that  his  opponents  had  not  proved 
all  that  was  justly  due  them  in  offset,  and  proceeded 
to  prove  and  allow  a  further  offset  against  his  client. 
His  purpose  was  to  establish  "exact  justice."  Some- 
times, however,  his  sympathy  for  a  poor  fellow  who 
was  in  danger  of  the  penitentiary  or  gallows,  caused 
him  to  overlook  ''exact  justice,"  as  we  have  seen. 

A  woman  called  upon  him  to  secure  his  services  to 
prosecute  a  real-estate  claim  ;  and  she  put  a  check  for 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  into  his  hand  as  a  retain- 
ing fee. 

"  I  will  look  the  case  over,  and  see  what  can  be 
done,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln.     ''You  may  call  to-morrow." 

The  woman  called  as  requested  on  the  next  day.  "  I 
am  obliged  to  say  that  there  is  not  a  peg  on  which  to 
hang  your  claim,"  Mr.  Lincoln  said  to  her. 

"  How  so } "  she  inquired,  with  not  a  little  disap- 
pointment. 


A   SUCCESSFUL  LAWYER.  285 

He  explained  the  case  to  her  satisfaction,  and  she 
started  to  go. 

*'Wait  a  minute,"  he  urged,  fumbling  in  his  pocket; 
**here  is  the  check  you  left  with  me." 

"  But,  Mr.  Lincoln,  that  belongs  to  you ;  you  have 
earned  it,"  she  answered. 

**  No,  no,  no,"  responded  Mr.  Lincoln;  "that  would 
not  be  right.  I  can't  take  pay  for  doing  my  duty." 
And  he  insisted  that  she  should  take  the  check. 

The  testimony  of  his  legal  associates,  at  this  point,  is 
interesting.  Mr.  Gillespie  says  :  "  Mr.  Lincoln's  love 
of  justice  and  fair  play  was  his  predominating  trait.  I 
have  often  listened  to  him  when  I  thought  he  would 
state  his  case  out  of  court.  It  was  not  in  his  nature 
to  assume,  or  to  attempt  to  bolster  up,  a  false  position. 
He  would  abandon  his  case  first.  He  did  so  in  the 
case  of  Buckmaster  for  the  use  of  Denham  vs.  Beenes 
and  Arthur,  in  our  Supreme  Court,  in  which  I  hap- 
pened to  be  opposed  to  him.  Another  gentleman, 
less  fastidious,  took  Mr.  Lincoln's  place,  and  gained 
the  case." 

S.  C.  Parks,  Esq.,  says:  "I  have  often  said,  that, 
for  a  man  who  was  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  both  a 
lawyer  and  politician^  he  was  the  most  honest  man  I 
ever  knew.  He  was  not  only  morally  honest,  but  in- 
tellectually so.  He  could  not  reason  falsely  ;  if  he 
attempted  it,  he  failed.  In  politics  he  never  would 
try  to  mislead.  At  the  bar,  when  he  found  he  was 
wrong,  he  was  the  weakest  lawyer  I  ever  saw." 

His  old  friend.  Jack  Armstrong,  of  New  Salem, 
whose  kind,  good  wife  darned  his  stockings,  made  his 
shirts,  and  "  got  him  something  to  eat  while  he  rocked 


2S6        PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE   HOUSE. 

the  baby,"  died  not  long  after  Lincoln  settled  in 
Springfield,  The  baby  whom  he  rocked  had  grown 
into  a  stout  but  profligate  young  man  of  twenty-two 
years,  —  William  D.  Armstrong,  —  and  he  was  arrested 
for  murder.  The  circumstances  were  as  follows  :  — 
At  a  camp  meeting  in  Mason  County,  several  fast 
young  men  became  intoxicated,  and  then  engaged  in  a 
"free  fight,"  in  which  one  Metzgar  was  killed.  Arm- 
strong and  James  H.  Norris  were  charged  with  the 
murder.  Norris  was  "  tried  in  Mason  County,  con- 
victed of  manslaughter,  and  sentenced  to  the  peniten- 
tiary for  the  term  of  eight  years." 

"  Aunt  Hannah,"  as  Lincoln  used  to  call  his  old 
benefactress,  was  plunged  into  terrible  sorrow  for  her 
misguided  son.  She  scarcely  knew  what  to  do.  But, 
in  her  great  grief,  she  recalled  one  who  would  come 
to  her  aid  if  possible  —  "the  noble,  good  Abe,"  who 
rocked  her  Billy  when  he  was  a  baby  in  the  cradle. 
She  sat  down  and  wrote  to  Lincoln,  telling  him  of  her 
anguish,  and  beseeching  him  to  help  her  boy  if  pos- 
sible. The  appeal  brought  tears  to  Lincoln's  eyes, 
and  enlisted  his  whole  soul  to  save  the  accused  for  the 
sake  of  his  mother.  Now  was  the  time  for  him  to  re- 
quite the  many  kindnesses  "  Aunt  Hannah  "  showed 
him  under  her  humble  roof.  He  sat  down  and  wrote 
to  her  an  affirmative  answer,  at  the  same  time  encour- 
aging her  to  hope  for  the  best,  and  asking  her  to  come 
to  Springfield  at  once.  He  pledged  his  services,  also, 
gratuitously. 

Lincoln's  letter  was  like  a  promise  from  the  skies  to 
"  Aunt  Hannah."  Her  almost  broken  heart  took 
courage,  and   away  she  hastened  to   Springfield,  the 


A    SUCCESSFUL   LAWYER.  287 

benefactress  seeking  a  benefactor  in  the  once  poor  boy 
she  helped  in  her  humble  abode. 

"Aunt  Hannah"  believed  that  her  boy  was  not 
guilty  of  murder  —  that  the  fatal  blow  was  not  struck 
by  him,  but  by  another —  that  others  sought  to  fasten 
the  crime  upon  him  because  of  his  bad  reputation.  At 
the  close  of  the  interview,  Lincoln  was  of  the  same 
opinion  ;  or,  at  least,  thought  there  was  no  positive 
evidence  that  her  son  was  the  murderer.  His  heart 
was  so  thoroughly  moved  for  the  old  lady,  that  he 
resolved  to  save  her  boy  from  the  gallows  if  possible. 
The  excitement  was  intense,  and  everybody  seemed 
willing  to  believe  that  Armstrong  killed  Metzgar. 
Lincoln  saw  that  it  would  be  well-nigh  impossible  to 
secure  an  impartial  jury  in  these  circumstances,  and 
he  said  to  Mrs.  Armstrong  :  — 

"  We  must  have  the  case  put  off  if  possible,  until 
the  excitement  dies  away." 

"And  let  my  son  lie  in  prison  all  the  while,"  Mrs. 
Armstrong  answered,  as  if  horrified  by  the  thought 
that  he  should  be  incarcerated  so  long. 

"  There  is  no  other  alternative.  Better  that  than 
to  be  condemned  and  executed  in  advance,"  Lincoln 
rejoined  calmly. 

"  True,  very  true  ;  but  I'm  impatient  to  see  him  free 
again." 

"That  is  not  strange  at  all,  but  I  am  satisfied  that 
the  case  cannot  be  conducted  so  favorably  for  him  now, 
when  the  public  mind  is  so  excited." 

"I  understand  you  exactly,"  responded  Mrs.  Arm- 
strong, "and  shall  agree  to  any  decision  you  make.  The 
case  is  in  your  hands,  and  you  will  conduct  it  as  you 
think  best." 


288       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Another  thing  too,"  added  Lincoln,  "  I  need  more 
time  to  unravel  the  affair.  I  want  to  produce  evidence 
that  shall  vindicate  William,  to  the  satisfaction  of 
every  reasonable  man." 

Lincoln  secured  the  postponement  of  the  trial  until 
the  following  spring ;  and  he  spent  much  time,  in 
the  interval,  in  tracing  evidence,  laboring  as  assidu- 
ously to  pay  his  old  debt  of  gratitude  as  he  would 
have  done  under  the  offer  of  a  fee  of  five  thousand 
dollars. 

The  time  for  the  trial  arrived,  and  it  drew  together  a 
crowd  of  interested  people,  nor  were  they  under  so 
much  excitement  as  they  were  when  the  case  was 
postponed.  The  "  sober  second  thought  "  had  moder- 
ated their  feelings,  and  they  were  in  a  better  frame  of 
mind  to  judge  impartially. 

The  witnesses  for  the  State  were  introduced ;  some 
to  testify  of  Armstrong's  previous  vicious  character, 
and  others  to  relate  what  they  saw  of  the  affair  on  the 
night  of  the  murder.  His  accuser  testified  in  the 
most  positive  manner  that  he  saw  him  make  the 
dreadful  thrust  that  felled  his  victim. 

*'  Could  there  be  no  mistake  in  regard  to  the  person 
who  struck  the  blow  ? "  asked  the  counsel  for  the 
defence. 

**  None  at  all :  I  am  confident  of  that,"  replied  the 
witness. 

"  What  time  in  the  evening  was  it  .^ " 

"  Between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock." 

"  Well,  about  how  far  between }  Was  it  quarter- 
past  ten  or  half-past  ten  o'clock,  or  still  later?  Be 
more  exact,  if  you  please." 


A   SUCCESSFUL  LAWYER.  289 

"  I  should  think  it  might  have  been  about  half-past 
ten  o'clock,"  answered  the  witness. 

"  And  you  are  confident  that  you  saw  the  prisoner 
at  the  bar  give  the  blow  ?  Be  particular  in  your 
testimony,  and  remember  that  you  are  under  oath." 

"  I  am  ;  there  can  be  no  mistake  about  it." 

"  Was  it  not  dark  >  " 

"  Yes  ;  but  the  moon  was  shining  brightly." 

*'Then  it  was  not  very  dark,  as  there  was  a 
moon } " 

"  No  ;  the  moon  made  it  light  enough  for  me  to  see 
the  whole  affair." 

**  Be  particular  on  this  point.  Do  I  understand  you 
to  say  that  the  murder  was  committed  about  half-past 
ten  o'clock,  and  that  the  moon  was  shining  brightly  at 
the  time  ? " 

"Yes,  that  is  what  I  testify." 

"Very  well ;  that  is  all" 

His  principal  accuser  was  thus  positive  in  his  testi- 
mony, and  the  sagacious  attorney  saw  enough  therein 
to  destroy  his  evidence. 

After  the  witnesses  for  the  State  had  been  called, 
the  defence  introduced  a  few,  to  show  that  young 
Armstrong  had  borne  a  better  character  than  some  of 
the  witnesses  gave  him,  and  also  that  his  accuser  had 
been  his  personal  enemy,  while  the  murdered  young 
man  was  his  personal  friend. 

The  counsel  for  the  Commonwealth  considered  that 
the  evidence  was  too  strong  against  Armstrong  to 
admit  of  a  reasonable  doubt  of  his  guilt ;  therefore,  his 
plea  was  short  and  formal. 

All  eyes  were  now  turned  to  Lincoln.     What  could 


290       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  say  for  the  accused,  in  the  face  of  such  testimony? 
Few  saw  any  possible  chance  for  Armstrong  to  escape  : 
his  condemnation  was  sure. 

Mr.  Lincoln  rose,  while  a  deeply  impressive  stillness 
reigned  throughout  the  court-room.  The  prisoner  sat 
with  a  worried,  despairing  look,  such  as  he  had  worn 
ever  since  his  arrest.  When  he  was  led  into  the  court- 
room, a  most  melancholy  expression  sat  upon  his  brow, 
as  if  he  were  forsaken  by  every  friend,  and  the  evidence 
presented  was  not  suited  to  produce  a  change  for  the 
better. 

His  counsel  proceeded  to  review  the  testimony,  and 
called  attention  particularly  to  the  discrepancies  in  the 
statements  of  the  principal  witness.  What  had  seemed 
to  the  multitude  as  plain,  truthful  statements  he  showed 
to  be  wholly  inconsistent  with  other  parts  of  the 
testimony,  indicating  a  plot  against  an  innocent  man. 
Then,  raising  his  clear,  full  voice  to  a  higher  key,  and 
lifting  his  long,  wiry  right  arm  above  his  head,  as  if 
about  to  annihilate  his  client's  accuser,  he  exclaimed  : 
*'  And  he  testifies  that  the  moon  was  shining  brightly 
when  the  deed  was  perpetrated,  between  the  hours  of 
ten  and  eleven  o'clock,  when  the  moon  did  not  appear 
on  that  night,  as  your  Honor's  almanac  will  show,  until 
an  hour  or  more  later,  and  consequently  the  whole  story 
is  a  fabrication." 

The  audience  were  carried  by  this  sudden  overthrow 
of  the  accuser's  testimony,  and  they  were  now  as  bitter 
against  the  principal  witness  as  they  were  before 
against  the  accused. 

Lincoln  continued  in  a  strain  of  singular  eloquence, 
portraying  the  loneliness  and  sorrow  of  the  widowed 


1      '!     !', 


It  is  not  Sundown-,  and  you  are  Frek."  — Page  25)1. 


A    SUCCESSFUL   LAWYER.  29 1 

mother,  whose  husband,  long  since  gathered  to  his 
fathers,  and  his  good  companion  with  the  silver  locks, 
welcomed  a  strange  and  penniless  boy  to  their  humble 
abode,  dividing  their  scanty  store  with  him,  and, 
pausing,  and  exhibiting  much  emotion — ''that  boy 
stands  before  you  now  pleading  for  the  life  of  his 
benefactor's  son  —  the  staff  of  the  widow's  declining 
years."  The  effect  was  electric  ;  and  eyes  unused  to 
weep  shed  tears  as  rain.  With  unmistakable  expres- 
sions of  honest  sympathy  around  him,  Lincoln  closed 
his  remarkable  plea  with  the  words,  "  If  justice  is  done, 
as  I  believe  it  will  be,  before  the  sun  sets,  it  will  shine 
upon  my  client  a  free  man." 

The  jury  returned  to  the  court-room,  after  thirty 
minutes  of  retirement,  with  the  verdict  of  "  Not 
Guilty."  Turning  to  his  client,  Lincoln  said,  "It  is 
not  sundown,  and  you  are  free !  " 

A  shout  of  joy  went  up  from  the  crowded  assembly; 
and  the  aged  mother,  who  had  retired  when  the  case 
was  given  to  the  jury,  was  brought  in  with  tears  of 
gratitude  streaming  down  her  cheeks,  to  receive  her 
acquitted  boy,  and  thank  her  noble  benefactor  for  his 
successful  effort. 

"  Where  is  Mr.  Lincoln } "  she  asked.  And  from  her 
saved  boy,  she  pressed  her  way  through  the  crowd  to 
him,  and,  seizing  his  hand  convulsively,  attempted  to 
express  her  gratitude,  but  utterance  was  impossible. 
Tears  only  told  how  full  her  heart  was.  Lincoln 
answered  only  with  tears  for  a  few  moments.  At 
length,  however,  controlling  his  feelings,  he  said  :  — 

"  Aunt  Hannah,  what  did  I  tell  you  "i  I  pray  to  God 
that  William  may  be  a  good  boy  hereafter — that  this 


292        PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


lesson  may  prove  in  the  end  a  good  lesson  to  him  and 
to  all." 

Subsequently,  Lincoln  went  to  see  her  at  her  home, 
when  she  pressed  him  to  take  pay  for  his  services. 

'•Why,  Aunt  Hannah,  I  shan't  take  a  cent  of  yours 
—  never.  Anything  I  can  do  for  you,  I  will  do  wilUngly, 
and  without  any  charge." 

Months  after  this,  Lincoln  heard  that  some  men  were 
trying  to  defraud  her  of  land,  and  he  wrote  to  her :  — 

"Aunt  Hannah,  they  can't  have  your  land.  Let 
them  try  it  in  the  Circuit  Court,  and  then  you  appeal 
it ;  bring  it  to  the  Supreme  Court,  and  Herndon  and  I 
will  attend  to  it  for  nothing." 

This  William  Armstrong,  whom  Lincoln  saved  from 
the  gallows,  enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  in  response  to 
Abraham  Lincoln's  first  call  for  seventy-five  thousand 
volunteers.  Two  years  later,  his  mother  wrote  to 
President  Lincoln  that  she  wanted  her  boy.  She  did 
not  speak  of  any  disability,  only  said  that  she  wanted 
him.  But  that  was  enough  for  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  had 
not  yet  fully  paid  his  old  debt  of  gratitude  to  his  early 
benefactress,  as  he  thought.  He  ordered  the  discharge 
of  her  son,  and  wrote  the  following  brief  epistle  to  her 
with  his  own  hand  :  — 

September,  1863. 

Mrs.  Hannah  Armstrong,  —  I  have  just  ordered  the  dis- 
charge of  your  boy  William,  as  you  say,  now  at  Louisville,  Ky. 

A  lawyer  was  associated  with  Lincoln  in  this  case, 
Mr.  Walker,  and  he  says  of  his  plea  :  — 

"At  first  he  spoke  slowly,  and  carefully  reviewed 
the  whole  testimony,  —  picked  it  all   to  pieces,  and 


A   SUCCESSFUL  LAWYER.  293 

showed  that  the  man  had  not  received  his  wounds  at 
the  place  or  time  named  by  the  witnesses,  but  after- 
wards^ and  at  tJie  hajids  of  some  one  else  ....  He 
skilfully  untied  here  and  there  a  knot,  and  loosened 
here  and  there  a  peg,  until  fairly  getting  warmed  up, 
he  raised  himself  in  his  full  power,  and  shook  the 
arguments  of  his  opponents  from  him  as  if  they  were 
cobwebs  ....  The  last  fifteen  minutes  of  his  speech 
was  as  eloquent  as  I  ever  heard ;  and  such  the 
power  and  earnestness  with  which  he  spoke  to  that 
jury,  that  all  sat  as  if  entranced,  and  when  he  was 
through,  found  relief  in  a  gush  of  tears."  Even  one 
of  the  prosecutors  said,  *'  He  took  the  jury  by  storm. 
There  were  tears  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  eyes  while  he 
spoke,  but  they  were  genuine.  His  sympathies  were 
fully  enlisted  for  the  young  man,  and  his  terrible 
sincerity  could  not  help  but  arouse  the  same  passion 
in  the  jury.  I  have  said  a  hundred  times  that  it 
was  Lincoln's  speech  that  saved  Armstrong  from  the 
gallows." 

By  this  time,  old  Mrs.  Armstrong  must  have  realized 
the  full,  deep  significance  of  the  divine  promise,  *'  Cast 
thy  bread  upon  the  waters,  for  thou  shalt  find  it  after 
many  days." 

In  his  circuit  practice,  Lincoln  devoted  himself  to 
self-improvement,  by  taking  books  with  him  —  reading- 
books,  his  grammar,  arithmetic  and  Shakespeare. 
He  read  and  studied  much  when  riding.  The 
finest  passages  of  Shakespeare  were  committed 
in  these  travels  ;  and  he  would  sometimes  stop  by  the 
way,  and  recite  them  to  strangers  whom  he  met. 
Out  of  court,  during  his  absence  on  circuit  business, 


294       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  found  considerable  time  to  pore  over  his  books,  so 
that  little  of  his  time  was  lost. 

Soon  after  he  began  the  practice  of  law,  he  com- 
menced to  remit  money  to  his  poor  parents.  There 
was  a  mortgage  of  two  hundred  dollars  on  his  father's 
little  farm,  and  he  paid  it.  His  foster-brother,  John 
Johnston,  was  poor  and  needy,  and  he  assisted  him, 
also.  John  was  shiftless  and  lazy,  and  Lincoln  once 
wrote  to  him,  "  I  now  promise  you,  that,  for  every 
dollar  you  will,  between  this  and  the  first  of  next  May, 
get  for  your  own  labor,  either  in  money  or  as  your 
own  indebtedness,  I  will  then  give  you  one  other 
dollar.  By  this,  if  you  hire  yourself  at  ten  dollars  a 
month,  from  me  you  will  get  ten  more,  making 
twenty  dollars  a  month  for  your  work."  He  visited 
his  parents,  also,  as  often  as  was  consistent  with  his 
growing  business  and  many  cares. 

In  his  early  law  practice,  he  received  five  hundred 
dollars  for  conducting  a  criminal  case  successfully. 
A  legal  friend  called  upon  him  the  next  morning,  and 
found  him  counting  his  money. 

"  Look  here,  judge,"  he  said  ;  "more  money  out  of 
this  case  than  I  ever  had  in  my  life.  If  I  had  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  more,  I  would  go  directly 
and  purchase  a  quarter-section  of  land,  and  settle  it 
upon  my  old  stepmother." 

"  I  will  loan  you  the  required  amount,"  answered 
the  judge. 

"Agreed,"  rejoined  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  proceeded  to 
write  a  note  at  once. 

"I  would  not  use  the  money  just  as  you  have 
indicated,"  then  added  the  judge. 


A  SUCCESSFUL  LAWYER.  295 

"Why  not?" 

"  Your  stepmother  is  getting  old,  and  will  not  live 
many  years.  I  would  settle  the  property  upon  her 
for  her  use  during  her  lifetime,  to  revert  to  you  upon 
her  death." 

**  I  shaD  do  no  such  thing,"  answered  Lincoln, 
decidedly.  "  It  is  a  poor  return,  at  the  best,  for  the 
good  woman's  devotion  and  fidelity  to  me,  and  there 
is  not  going  to  be  any  half  way  business  about  it." 

As  soon  as  he  could,  he  purchased  the  quarter- 
section,  and  settled  it  upon  his  stepmother. 

On  hearing  of  his  father's  serious  illness  in  January, 
185  I,  at  a  time  when  pressing  business  and  the  sick- 
ness of  his  own  wife  rendered  it  impossible  for  him  to 
leave  her,  he  wrote  a  very  touching  filial  letter, 
addressing  it  to  Johnston,  The  letter  has  the  follow- 
ing paragraph  :  — 

"  You  already  know  I  desire  that  neither  father  or 
mother  shall  be  in  want  of  any  comfort,  either  in 
health  or  sickness,  while  they  live ;  and  I  feel  sure 
that  you  have  not  failed  to  use  my  name,  if  necessary, 
to  procure  a  doctor  or  any  thing  else  for  father  in  his 
present  sickness.  I  sincerely  hope  father  may  yet 
recover  his  health ;  but,  at  all  events,  tell  him  to 
remem.ber  and  call  upon  and  confide  in  our  great  and 
good  and  merciful  Maker,  who  will  not  turn  away 
from  him  in  any  extremity.  He  notes  the  fall  of 
a  sparrow,  and  numbers  the  hairs  of  our  heads  ;  and 
he  will  not  forget  the  dying  man  who  puts  his  trust  in 
him.  Say  to  him,  that,  if  we  could  meet  now,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  it  would  not  be  more  painful  than 
pleasant ;  but  that,  if  it  be  his  lot  to  go  now,  he  will 


296       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

soon  have  a  joyous  meeting  with  loved  ones  gone 
before,  and  where  the  rest  of  us,  through  the  help  of 
God,  hope  ere  long  to  join  them." 

That  the  reader  may  know  we  have  not  spoken 
with  partiality  of  Mr.  Lincoln  as  a  lawyer,  the  follow- 
ing tribute  of  two  of  the  most  distinguished  jurists  of 
his  day,  spoken  after  his  tragic  death,  will  prove. 

Judge  David  Davis  said  :  "  In  all  the  elements  that 
constitute  the  great  lawyer  he  had  few  equals.  The 
framework  of  his  mental  and  moral  being  was 
honesty.  He  never  took  from  a  client,  even  when  the 
cause  was  gained,  more  than  he  thought  the  service 
was  worth  and  the  client  could  reasonably  afford 
to  pay.     He  was  loved  by  his  brethren  of  the  bar." 

Judge  Drummond  said  :  "  With  a  probity  of  charac- 
ter known  to  all,  with  an  intuitive  insight  into  the 
human  heart,  with  a  clearness  of  statement  which  was 
in  itself  an  argument,  with  uncommon  power  and 
felicity  of  illustration,  —  often,  it  is  true,  of  a  plain  and 
homely  kind, — and  with  that  sincerity  and  earnest- 
ness of  manner,  which  carried  conviction,  he  was 
one  of  the  most  successful  lawyers  in  the  State." 


CHAPTER    XXII. 
THE   RISING   STATESMAN. 

R  LINCOLN  was  elected  to  Congress  in 
1846.  He  was  brought  forward  in  a  meet- 
ing to  nominate  delegates  to  a  Congressional 
Convention  in  1844,  but  Col.  Baker  received 
the  endorsement  of  the  convention.  Mr.  Lincoln, 
however,  was  chosen  one  of  the  delegates  to  the 
district  convention,  whereupon  he  wrote  to  his  old 
friend  Speed,  in  a  vein  of  humor,  "  The  meeting  ap- 
pointed me  one  of  the  delegates,  so  that  in  getting  Baker 
the  nomination  I  shall  be  'fixed'  a  good  deal  like  the 
fellow  who  is  made  groomsman  to  the  man  who  has 
*  cut  him  out,'  and  is  marrying  his  own  dear  gal." 

Henry  Clay,  his  favorite  statesman,  was  the  Whig 
candidate  for  President  that  year ;  and  Mr.  Lincoln 
entered  into  the  canvass  with  all  his  heart,  making 
numerous  speeches,  and  winning  golden  opinions.  He 
was  chosen  a  presidential  elector,  a  merited  honor. 

One  day  he  was  coming  down  the  steps  of  the 
State  House,  when  he  met  an  old  client,  whose  note 
for  services  he  held. 

"  Hallo,  Cogdal !  "  Lincoln  exclaimed,  heartily  ex- 
tending his  hand :  "  you  have  been  very  unfortunate,  I 


298       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

hear."  Cogdal  had  been  blown  up  by  an  accidental 
discharge  of  powder,  and  lost  one  hand  by  the  ca- 
lamity. 

"  Yes,  rather  unfortunate ;  but  it  might  have  been 
worse,"  answered  Cogdal. 

"  Well,  that  is  a  philosophical  way  of  looking  at  it, 
certainly,"  continued  Lincoln.  "  But  how  are  you 
getting  along  in  your  business  } " 

"  Badly  enough.  I  am  not  only  broken  up  in  my 
business,  but  crippled  for  life  also." 

"  T  am  sorry  for  you,  very  sorry  indeed,"  replied 
Lincoln  with  profound  sympathy. 

"  I  have  been  thinking  about  that  note  of  yours," 
Cogdal  added,  in  a  despairing  tone. 

"  Well,  "  responded  Lincoln,  in  a  half-laughing  way, 
"you  need  n't  think  any  more  about  it,"  at  the  same 
time  taking  the  note  from  his  pocket-book  and  handing 
it  to  him. 

Cogdal  protested  against  taking  the  note,  and  ex- 
pressed the  hope  that  some  day  he  might  be  able  to 
pay  it.  But  Lincoln  insisted,  adding,  "  If  you  had  the 
money  I  would  not  take  it,"  and  he  hurried  away. 

We  said  that  he  was  elected  to  Congress  in  1846. 
He  was  elected  too,  by  a  surprisingly  large  majority. 
Henry  Clay  received  but  nine  hundred  and  fourteen 
majority  in  the  district  in  1844  ;  but  Lincoln's  majority 
was  one  thousand  five  hundred  and  eleven.  Many 
voted  for  him  who  were  not  Whigs,  his  honesty  and 
peculiar  fitness  for  the  office  winning  their  votes.  He 
took  his  seat  in  the  National  House  of  Representa- 
tives, Dec.  6,  1847  I  ^rid  the  fact  that  he  was  the  only 
Whig    member   from    Illinois   contributed    somewhat 


THE  RISING  STATESMAN.  299 

to  his  popularity.  At  the  same  session  Stephen  A. 
Dousclas  took  his  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate  — 
Democratic  senator  from  lUinois.  He  was  "the 
youngest  and  shortest  member  of  the  senate,"  while 
Lincoln  was  the  **  youngest  and  lo7igest  member  of  the 
house  ; "  so  a  waggish  associate  claimed. 

The  country  was  thoroughly  excited,  at  that  time, 
upon  the  questions  of  "  the  Mexican  war "  and  the 
"  admission  of  Texas  as  a  slave  State."  The  war  with 
Mexico  was  unjustly  waged  in  the  interests  of  slavery, 
and  the  South  was  looking  to  Texas  for  the  extension 
of  their  inhuman  institution.  Lincoln  at  once  arrayed 
himself  against  these  unrighteous  measures,  and  he 
delivered  a  speech  which  was  acknowledged  to  be  the 
best  that  was  delivered  against  them  during  the  ses- 
sion. 

The  anti-slavery  conflict  in  Congress  was  hot  and 
bitter  during  the  two  years  he  served  in  the  House. 
Those  mighty  champions  of  Liberty,  John  Quincy 
Adams  of  Massachusetts,  and  Joshua  R.  Giddifigs,  of 
Ohio,  were  members ;  and  Lincoln  found  himself  fight- 
ing for  his  principles  by  their  side.  He  assailed  slavery 
as  "  unjust  and  cruel ;"  and  did  not  hesitate  to  declare 
that  God  would  visit  the  land  in  terrible  retribution,  if 
the  American  people  continued  to  legislate  and  govern 
in  the  interests  of  human  bondage.  He  voted  forty- 
two  times,  in  one  way  and  another,  for  that  famous 
anti-slavery  measure  —  "The  Wilmot  Proviso." 

He  became  popular  with  both  Whigs  and  Democrats, 
by  reason  of  his  genial  spirit,  fairness,  and  sincerity  in 
debate,  his  quick-witted  ability  in  controversy,  and  his 
transparency  and  uprightness  of  character. 


300       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

He  declined  re-election  in  1848,  and  again  in  1850, 
preferring  to  be  at  home  with  his  family,  and  follow  his 
chosen  profession. 

His  life  in  Washington  forced  upon  his  conviction 
anew,  that  he  must  give  more  attention  to  intellectual 
improvement.  He  saw  and  felt  that  the  distance 
between  himself  and  many  of  his  congressional  asso- 
ciates, was  great  indeed ;  and  he  resolved  to  lessen  it.  He 
devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  English  and  American 
literature  with  the  earnest  application  of  early  days.  He 
studied  language  and  style  by  reading  the  best  authors. 
In  short,  he  took  a  new  departure  in  mental  progress, 
and  really  accomplished  what  elevated  his  speeches  and 
composition  the  rest  of  his  life.  Being  one  who  ac- 
cepted the  old  maxim  fully,  "  Never  too  old  to  learn," 
he  not  only  made  the  most  of  himself  possible  after  he 
was  forty  years  of  age  ;  but  he  made  more  of  himself 
within  a  few  years,  than  his  most  partial  friends  ever 
anticipated. 

Until  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  in  1854, 
and  the  attempt  to  force  slavery  upon  Kansas,  Lincoln 
remained  in  comparative  retirement,  devoting  himself 
to  his  family  and  profession.  Occasionally  some  pro- 
slavery  demonstration  by  his  old  friend  and  political 
antagonist,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  called  him  out,  for  he 
was  ever  ready  to  pursue  him  in  public  debate  or  polit- 
ical action.  He  made  some  speeches  in  the  canvass 
for  General  Taylor,  Whig  candidate  for  president,  in 
1848,  and  also  for  General  Scott,  Whig  candidate  for 
president,  in  1852.  In  the  same  year,  also,  he  delivered 
a  eulogy  upon  Henry  Clay  in  the  State  Capitol.  He 
made  some  addresses  on  Temperance,  also.     He  had 


THE  RISING  STATESMAN.  301 

been  accustomed  to  make  ''little  speeches"  upon  Tem- 
perance, as  he  called  them,  from  the  time  he  entertained 
his  companions  on  the  stumps  of  Indiana.  At  the 
time  he  entered  upon  the  legal  profession,  the  temper- 
ance cause  was  demanding  attention ;  and  he  had 
occasional  calls  for  addresses  in  this  line.  In  1854  he 
joined  the  Sons  of  Temperance,  believing  that  the 
Order  was  accomplishing  much  good  in  the  West  as 
well  as  in  the  East.  He  did  not  hesitate  to  lend  both 
example  and  voice  against  the  drink  customs. 

But  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  in  1854 
aroused  him  by  its  base  injustice  and  political  chicanery. 
A  solemn  covenant,  made  in  1820,  to  shut  slavery  out  of 
the  northwest,  was  wantonly  broken,  that  slavery  might 
have  a  foothold  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska ;  and  his  old 
associate  and  antagonist,  Douglas,  was  the  author  of  it. 
The  deed  aroused  his  whole  stalwart  nature  against  the 
arch  democrat,  who  devised  and  prosecuted  the  dia- 
bolical scheme ;  and  he  took  the  field  of  political 
controversy,  stronger  and  more  earnest  than  ever. 

Mr.  Douglas  delivered  a  speech  in  Springfield,  while 
the  State  Fair  was  in  progress,  and  thousands  of  people 
were  there.  Mr.  Lincoln  heard  it,  and  replied  to  it,  in 
the  same  place,  on  the  following  day.  Listeners  de- 
clared it  to  be  the  grandest  effort  of  his  life,  and  that 
it  completely  destroyed  the  political  foundation  on 
which  Douglas  stood.  His  speech  was  over  three  hours 
long.     The  "  Springfield  Journal  "  said  : 

"  He  quivered  with  feeling  and  emotion.  The  whole 
house  was  as  still  as  death.  He  attacked  the  bill  (the 
Kansas-Nebraska  bill,  of  which  Douglas  was  the  author) 
with  unusual  warmth  and  energy,  and  all  felt  that  a 


302       PIOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

man  of  strength  was  its  enemy ;  and  that  he  intended 
to  blast  it  if  he  could  by  strong  and  manly  efforts.  He 
was  most  successful ;  and  the  house  approved  the 
glorious  triumph  of  truth  by  loud  and  long-continued 
huzzas.  Women  waved  their  white  handkerchiefs  in 
token  of  their  silent  but  heartfelt  consent.  Every 
man  felt  that  the  speech  was  unanswerable — that  no 
human  power  could  overthrow  it,  or  trample  it  under 
foot." 

Mr.  Lincoln  followed  Douglas  to  Peoria  and  other 
places,  and  was  equally  triumphant  in  his  replies  to 
the  advocate  of  slavery.  The  result  was  a  complete 
political  revolution  in  the  state.  The  Democrats  had 
been  in  power  in  Illinois,  ever  since  their  party  was 
organized.  But  now  their  power  was  broken,  and  a 
Whig  legislature  was  elected,  Lincoln  being  among  its 
members.  A  press  of  business,  however,  compelled 
him  to  resign  before  taking  his  seat.  Many  Democrats 
voted  with  the  Whigs,  because  they  were  opposed  to 
forcing  slavery  upon  Kansas  and  Nebraska. 

This  new  Whig  Legislature  had  to  elect  a  United 
States  Senator :  and  Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  Whig  candi- 
date ;  Lyman  Trumbull  the  anti-Kansas-Nebraska  Dem- 
ocratic candidate  ;  and  General  James  Shields,  the 
Douglas  party  candidate.  After  several  undecisive 
ballots,  the  Democrats  dropped  Gen.  Shields  and 
took  up  Governor  Matheson,  who  had  not  committed 
himself  to  either  side  of  the  great  question ;  and 
Matheson  came  within  three  votes  of  an  election.  At 
this  juncture,  an  effort  was  made  to  unite  the  friends 
of  Lincoln  and  Trumbull  upon  one  of  them.  Here 
the  remarkable  magnanimity  of  Lincoln's  nature  came 


THE   RISING   STATESMAN.  303 

to  the  rescue,  showing  how  much  more  he  cared 
for  the  principle  at  issue  than  he  did  for  himself. 

"Withdraw  my  name  and  support  Trumbull," 
urged  Lincoln;  **we  shall  be  whipped  if  you  don't." 

"  Never ;  never,"  protested  one  and  another. 

"  Four  votes  only  will  make  Matheson  senator,  and 
we  must  not  risk  another  ballot,"  urged  Lincoln,  with 
still  more  earnestness. 

*' Impossible,"  answered  one.  "We  cannot  do  it," 
said  another. 

Lincoln  grew  determined  over  the  danger  of  losing 
in  the  contest,  and  straightening  himself  up  to  his 
full  height,  as  he  was  wont  under  great  emotion  :  — 

"  It  MUST  be  done,"  he  shouted. 

The  Whigs  yielded,  though  several  of  them  wept  at 
the  necessity ;  and  the  united  effort  made  Trumbull 
senator.  But,  to  the  Whigs  of  Illinois,  Lincoln  never 
appeared  so  truly  great,  as  he  did  after  that  act 
of  superior  magnanimity.  No  man  in  the  State 
or  country  rejoiced  more  heartily  over  the  triumph 
than  Mr.  Lincoln. 

In  1856,  the  Republican  party  of  Illinois  was  organ- 
ized at  Bloomington,  and  the  foremost  man  in  its 
organization  was  Abraham  Lincoln.  With  one  of  his 
ablest  speeches,  on  that  occasion,  he  fired  all  hearts. 
Mr.  Scripps  says :  "  Never  was  an  audience  more 
completely  electrified  by  human  eloquence.  Again 
and  again  during  the  progress  of  its  delivery,  they 
sprang  to  their  feet  and  upon  the  benches,  and 
testified  by  long  continued  shouts  and  the  waving  of 
hats,  how  deeply  the  speaker  had  wrought  upon  their 
minds  and  hearts." 


504       riONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


From  the  organization  of  the  RepubHcan  party,  Mr. 
Lincohi  was  not  only  the  first  Republican  in  Illinois, 
but  also  in  all  the  Western  States ;  and  a  month  later, 
at  the  National  Republican  convention  to  nominate  a 
candidate  for  President,  his  name  was  brought 
forward  for  the  Vice-Presidency.  On  the  informal 
ballot  he  received  one  hundred  and  ten  votes,  and 
Mr.  Dayton  two  hundred  and  fifty-nine.  This  com- 
plimentary vote  was  secured  without  Mr.  Lincoln's 
knowledge.  He  was  attending  court  at  Urbana  in 
his  own  State.  The  newspaper  report  that  reached 
Urbana  said,  "  Lincoln  received  one  hundred  and  ten 
votes." 

"Is  that  our  Lincoln  !  "  inquired  one  of  the  lawyers. 

"  Of  course,  it  is,"  replied  another.  And  turning 
to  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  made  his  appearance  just  then, 
he  remarked  :  — 

"  I  congratulate  you  upon  so  handsome  a  vote  for 
Vice-President." 

"  Me ! "  exclaimed  Lincoln,  who  had  already  read 
the  paper.     "  Have  you  any  idea  that  means  me  }  " 

"  Certainly,  I  have  no  idea  that  it  means  anybody 
else." 

"  Well,  you  were  never  more  mistaken  in  your  life," 
protested  Mr.  Lincoln  ;  "  it  can't"  mean  me.  It  must 
be  the  great  Lincoln  from  Massachusetts." 

He  utterly  refused  to  believe  the  newspaper  report, 
until  he  read  a  full  account  of  the  proceedings  of  the 
convention.  The  humble  estimate  he  put  upon  his 
own  abilities  and  influence,  and  the  fact  that  he  had 
indulged  no  aspirations  for  the  office,  is  sufficient 
explanation  of  the  affair. 


THE  RISING  STATESMAN.  305 

He  took  part  in  the  campaign  that  followed  for 
Fremont  and  Dayton,  striking  some  telling  blows  for 
liberty.  The  opposition  found  a  powerful  antagonist 
in  him,  and  sometimes  resorted  to  mean  expedients  to 
show  their  hostility.  At  a  meeting  at  Charleston,  Coles 
County,  a  Democrat  interrupted  him  by  saying,  **  Mr. 
Lincoln,  is  it  true  that  you  entered  this  State  bare- 
footed, driving  a  yoke  of  oxen  }  " 

Mr.  Lincoln  paused  a  few  moments,  and  then 
answered,  **  I  think  I  can  prove  the  fact  by  at  least  a 
dozen  men  in  the  crowd,  any  one  of  whom  is  more 
respectable  than  my  questioner." 

Then  he  branched  off  upon  the  helps  of  a  free  gov- 
ernment to  a  poor  boy,  and  "the  curse  of  Slavery  to 
the  white  man,  wherever  it  existed,"  speaking,  in 
a  strain  of  thrilling  eloquence,  and  closing  his  response 
with  the  following  inspiring  sentence,  that  thoroughly 
aroused  the  assembly  :  — 

"Yes,  we  will  speak  for  freedom  and  against 
slavery,  as  long  as  the  Constitution  of  our  country 
guarantees  free  speech,  until  everywhere  on  this  wide 
land,  the  sun  shall  shine  and  the  rain  shall  fall  and  the 
wind  shall  blow  upon  no  man  who  goes  forth  to 
unrequited  toil." 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  prophesied,  not  only  bloodshed  in 
Kansas,  but  also  a  bloody  contest  between  the  North 
and  South,  in  consequence  of  the  repeal  of  the 
Missouri  Compromise,  and  the  Kansas-Nebraska  out- 
rage. Already  the  first  prophecy  was  fulfilled,  and 
"  Border  Rufifians "  were  burning  houses,  shooting 
Free-State  men,  and  sacking  villages,  to  frighten 
freedom  out  of  Kansas.       Douglas  saw  that  political 


306       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

death  awaited  him  in  Illinois  if  he  pursued  his 
Kansas-Nebraska  measure ;  and,  all  at  once  he  changed 
front,  and  voted  with  the  Republicans  in  Congress 
against  the  very  measure  his  own  political  recklessness 
inaugurated.  His  senatorial  term  was  drawing  to 
a  close,  and  now  he  sought  a  re-election  by  appealing 
to  Republicans  for  support.  Those  of  Illinois  were 
too  familiar  with  his  duplicity  to  believe  he  was 
honest,  and  refused  to  support  him.  In  other  States, 
where  his  political  character  was  not  so  well  under- 
stood, there  were  prominent  Republicans  who  asked 
their  brethren  of  Illinois  to  return  him  to  the 
United  States  Senate. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  never  bolder,  more  earnest  and 
stronger,  than  he  was  in  this  campaign.  The  Re- 
publican State  convention  met  at  Springfield  on  the 
sixteenth  day  of  June  ;  and  it  was  scarcely  organized 
when  a  banner  was  borne  into  the  hall,  on  which  was 
inscribed,  "  Cook  County  for  Abraham  Lincoln." 
The  sight  of  it  seemed  to  craze  the  whole  assembly. 
They  sprang  to  their  feet,  jumped  upon  the  benches, 
swung  their  hats,  shouted,  cheered  and  gave  them- 
selves up  to  demonstrations  of  delight  for  several 
minutes.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  unanimously  nominated ; 
and,  in  the  evening,  delivered  before  the  convention 
his  famous  speech,  known  in  history  as  "The  House- 
divided-against-itself  Speech."  This  title  was  derived 
from  a  single  paragraph  at  the  opening  of  the  speech, 
as  follows  :  — 

"A  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand.  I 
believe  this  government  cannot  endure  permanently, 
half  slave  and  half  free.      I  do  not  expect  the  Union  to 


THE  RISING  STATESMAN.  307 

be  dissolved,  —  I  do  not  expect  the  house  to  fall ;  but  I 
do  expect  it  will  cease  to  be  divided.  It  will  become 
all  one  thing,  or  all  the  other."  Late  in  the  after- 
noon of  that  day,  Mr.  Lincoln  went  over  to  his  office, 
with  his  carefully  prepared  speech  in  his  pocket ;  and, 
locking  the  door  behind  him,  he  said  to  his  partner, 
Mr.  Herndon :  — 

"  Let  me  read  you  a  paragraph  of  my  speech."  He 
read  the  foregoing  extract,  which  was  a  part  of  the 
first  paragraph. 

'*  How  do  you  like  it.? "  inquired  Mr.  Lincoln,  before 
Herndon  had  time  to  express  his  surprise.  "  What  do 
you  think  of  it .? " 

"I  think  it  is  true,"  replied  Mr.  Herndon,  "but  is  it 
entirely  politic  to  read  or  speak  it  just  as  it  is 
written } " 

"That  makes  no  difference,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln. 
Mr.  Herndon  was  still  more  surprised.  "  Radical "  as  he 
was,  Lincoln  was  in  advance  of  him. 

"  That  expression  is  a  truth  of  all  human  experience, 
—  *  a  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand,' "  added 
Mr.  Lincoln  with  emphasis.  **  The  proposition  is 
indisputably  true,  and  has  been  true  for  more  than 
six  thousand  years  ;  and  —  I  will  deliver  it  as  written 

I  would  rather  be  defeated  with  this  expres- 

sio7i  in  the  speech,  than  be  victorious  without  it.'' 

An  hour  before  the  address  was  to  be  delivered  in 
the  Representatives'  Hall,  a  dozen  of  his  friends  assem- 
bled in  the  library  room,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  read  to  them 
several  paragraphs  of  his  speech,  including  the  extract 
quoted. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it  "*.  "  he  asked. 


308       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


''  Fifty  years  in  advance  of  public  opinion,"  answered 
one  leader  almost  angrily. 

"Very  unwise,"  replied  another. 

"  It  will  kill  the  Republican  party,"  said  a  third. 

"  And  you  too,  Lincoln,"  said  a  fourth. 

*'  Nothing  could  be  more  unwise  ;  it  will  certainly 
defeat  your  election  ;  "  added  a  fifth. 

And  so  the  criticisms  fell  fast  from  nearly  every 
tongue.  Every  one,  except  Mr.  Herndon,  condemned 
the  extract  in  question.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  after 
all  had  delivered  themselves  freely,  and  said  : —  "  Lin- 
coln, deliver  it  just  as  it  reads." 

Mr.  Lincoln  sat  in  silence  for  a  moment,  then,  rising 
from  his  seat,  he  walked  backwards  and  forwards  a  few 
moments  longer.  Suddenly  stopping  and  facing  the 
company,  he  said  :  — 

'*  Friends,  I  have  thought  about  this  matter  a  great 
deal,  have  weighed  the  question  well  from  all  corners, 
and  am  thoroughly  convinced  the  time  has  come  when 
it  should  be  uttered  ;  and  if  it  must  be  that  I  must  go 
down  because  of  this  speech,  then  let  me  go  down  linked 
to  truth  —  die  in  the  advocacy  of  what  is  right  and  fusty 

He  delivered  the  speech  just  as  he  had  prepared  it, 
and  great,  indeed,  was  the  excitement  occasioned 
thereby.  Many  of  his  warmest  friends  were  provoked 
by  his  "unwisdom." 

"  A  fool's  speech,"  cried  one. 

"  Wholly  inappropriate  !  "  cried  another. 

"  That  foolish  speech  of  yours  will  kill  you,  Lincoln," 
remarked  Dr.  Loring.  "  I  wish  it  was  wiped  out  of 
existence  ;  don't  you  wish  so  now  }  " 

"Well,  doctor,"  replied  Mr.    Lincoln,  "  if  I  had  to 


THE  RISING  STATESMAN.  309 

draw  a  pen  across,  and  erase  my  whole  life  from  exis- 
tence, and  had  one  poor  gift  or  choice  left,  as  to  what 
I  should  save  from  the  wreck,  I  should  choose  that 
speech,  and  leave  it  to  the  world  unerased." 

More  than  a  year  afterwards,  he  was  dining  with  a 
party  of  friends  at  Bloomington,  when  that  speech 
became  the  theme  of  discussion,  and  every  person 
present  declared  it  was  **a  great  mistake." 

"  Gentlemen,"  replied  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  you  may  think 
that  speech  was  a  mistake ;  but  I  never  have  believed 
it  was,  and  you  will  see  the  day  when  you  will  consider 
it  the  wisest  thing  I  ever  said." 

His  prophecy  was  completely  fulfilled.  The  fact 
was,  Mr,  Lincoln  was  led  "in  a  way  that  he  knew 
not."  A  higher  intelligence  than  mere  human  sagac- 
ity guided  him  in  the  right.  That  speech  was  one 
of  the  most  marvellous  productions  in  American  annals, 
and  it  not  only  gave  the  keynote  to  his  great  sena- 
torial contest  with  Mr.  Douglas,  but  it  settled  the 
character  and  issue  of  the  next  presidential  election, 
and  finally  sealed  the  doom  of  slavery  in  this  country. 

After  the  delivery  of  this  speech,  Mr.  Lincoln 
challenged  Mr.  Douglas  to  joint  debates  throughout 
the  canvas.  The  latter  accepted  the  challenge  so  far 
as  to  arrange  for  debates  with  the  former  in  seven  im- 
portant places  of  the  state.  Mr.  Douglas  conducted 
his  part  of  the  affair  with  great  pomp  and  noise, 
proceeding  to  his  appointments  on  a  chartered  train 
accompanied  with  a  band  of  music,  and  artillery  to  fire 
salutes,  at  a  cost  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  On  the 
other  hand,  Mr.  Lincoln  pursued  his  usual  quiet,  unos- 
tentatious and  honest  way ;   yet  he  won  the  victory 


310       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ever)^  time.  "  To  say  that  he  was  the  victor,  morally 
and  intellectually,  is  simply  to  record  the  judgment  of 
the  world."  "In  this  canvass  he  earned  a  reputation 
as  a  popular  debater  second  to  that  of  no  man  in 
America  —  certainly  not  second  to  that  of  his  famous 
antaiionist."  At  the  close  of  one  of  his  debates  with 
Mr.  Douglas,  even  after  the  latter  had  occupied  thirty 
minutes  in  closing  the  discussion,  the  assembly  was 
so  thoroughly  "  enthused  "  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  victorious 
effort,  that  they  seized  him,  in  their  exuberance  of  joy, 
and  bore  him  out  of  the  hall  to  the  hotel  upon  their 
shoulders,  amidst  cheers  and  shouts  that  made  the 
welkin  ring.  In  the  popular  vote  he  received  a  ma- 
jority of  four  thousand  and  eighty-five  over  Mr.  Doug- 
las ;  but  owing  to  the  unfair  apportionment  of  the  legis- 
lative districts,  Mr.  Douglas  was  returned  to  the  United 
States  Senate. 

In  one  of  these  debates  he  paid  one  of  the  most 
eloquent  tributes  to  the  "  Declaration  of  Independence  " 
(after  having  enunciated  its  principles)  that  ever  fell 
from  human  lips  ;  and  he  closed  with  these  memo- 
rable words  : 

"  You  may  do  anything  with  me  you  choose,  if  you 
will  but  heed  these  sacred  principles.  You  may  not 
only  defeat  me  for  the  senate,  but  you  may  take  me 
and  put  me  to  death.  While  pretending  no  indifference 
to  earthly  honors,  I  do  claim  to  be  actuated  in  this  con- 
test by  something  higher  than  an  anxiety  for  office.  I 
charge  you  to  drop  every  paltry  and  insignificant  thought 
for  any  man's  success.  It  is  nothing  ;  I  am  nothing ; 
Judge  Douglas  is  nothing.     But  do  not  destroy  that 

IMMORTAL  EMBLEM  OF  HUMANITY, THE  DECLARA- 
TION OF  American  Independence.'* 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

GOING    UP    HIGHER. 

|HE  Republican  State  Convention  of  Illinois 
met  at  Decatur,  May  9,  i860,  in  a  "Wig- 
wam "  erected  for  the  purpose.  Directly 
after  the  convention  was  organized,  Governor 
Oglesby,  the  chairman,  arose,  and  said,  "  I  am  informed 
that  a  distinguished  citizen  of  Illinois,  and  one  whom 
Illinois  will  ever  delight  to  honor,  is  present,  and  I 
wish  to  move  that  this  body  invite  him  to  a  seat  on  the 
stand."  After  a  pause,  as  if  to  awaken  curiosity,  he 
called  out  the  name  in  a  much  louder  voice,  Abraham 
Lincoln.  Such  a  round  of  applause,  cheer  upon  cheer, 
followed  the  announcement,  as  shook  every  board  and 
joist  of  the  wigwam.  A  rush,  too,  was  made  for  the 
gentleman,  who  stood  near  the  door,  and  he  was  act- 
ually taken  up  and  borne  through  the  dense  crowd  to 
the  platform.  The  cheering  was  like  the  roar  of  the 
sea.  Hats  were  thrown  up  by  the  Chicago  delegation, 
as  if  hats  were  no  longer  useful. 

The  convention  proceeded  to  business,  and  was  fairly 
under  way,  when  the  chairman  interrupted  by  saying : 
"There  is  an  old  Democrat  outside,  I  understand, 
who  has  something  to  present  to  this  convention." 


312       PIOAEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Receive  it!  receive  it!"  responded  several. 

"  What  is  it  ?  what  is  it?"  cried  out  others. 

"  Let  us  have  it,"  shouted  another. 

The  convention  voted  to  receive  the  Democrat,  and 
in  walked  Mr.  Lincoln's  old  friend,  John  Hanks,  who 
helped  him  to  split  the  rails  for  his  father's  fifteen  acre 
lot ;  the  same  Hanks  who  went  with  him  to  New 
Orleans  for  Offutt,  and  enlisted  with  him  in  the  Black 
Hawk  War.  John  bore  on  his  shoulders  two  rails,  from 
the  lot  he  and  Abe  split,  surmounted  with  a  banner 
with  this  inscription  :  — 

"Two  Rails 

From  a  Lot  Made  by  Abraham  Lincoln  and  John  Hanks, 

IN  the  Sangamon  Bottom,  in  the  Year  1830." 

Wild,  tumultuous  applause  greeted  the  rails,  and  the 
scene  became  simply  tempestuous  and  bewildering. 
The  tumult  subsided  only  to  make  way  for  another. 

"  A  speech ! "  "  Let's  hear  the  rail-splitter  I  "  "A 
speech!"  "Old  Abe  must  show  his  hand!"  These 
and  other  demands  were  made  in  one  incessant  noisy 
clamor,  lasting  several  minutes,  until  Mr.  Lincoln  arose, 
confused,  blushing,  yet  smiling,  and  remarked,  — 

**  Gentlemen,  I  suppose  you  want  to  know  something 
about  those  things  (pointing  to  the  rails).  Well,  the 
truth  is,  John  Hanks  and  I  did  make  rails  in  the  San- 
gamon Bottom.  I  don't  know  whether  we  made  those 
rails  or  not ;  the  fact  is,  I  don't  think  they  are  a  credit 
to  the  makers.  But  I  do  know  this  :  I  made  rails  then, 
and  I  think  I  could  make  better  ones  than  these  now." 

Another  storm  of  applause  shook  the  wigwam  for 
several    minutes ;   and  was   followed  by  a   resolution 


GOING    UP  HIGHER.  313 

declaring  *'  Abraham  Lincoln  to  be  the  first  choice  of 
the  Republican  party  of  Illinois  for  the  Presidency." 
The  resolution  was  carried  unanimously,  amidst  the 
wildest  demonstrations. 

Five  thousand  people  attended  this  convention, 
among  them  many  Democrats  who  were  friends  of 
Lincoln.  Other  Democrats  were  there,  who  were  not 
a  little  provoked  at  the  course  of  John  Hanks  and 
others  of  their  party.  One  of  them  accosted  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, after  the  adjournment :  — 

"And  so  you're  Abe  Lincoln.?" 

"That's  my  name,  sir,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"They  say  you're  a  self-made  man." 

"  Well,  yes  ;  what  there  is  of  me  is  self-made,"  replied 
Mr.  Lincoln. 

"Wall,"  added  the  Democrat,  after  surveying  him 
from  head  to  foot,  "  all  I've  got  to  say  is,  that  it  was  a 
very  bad  job." 

It  should  be  said  that,  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  senatorial 
contest  with  Mr.  Douglas,  particularly  in  1859,  ^^ 
spoke  by  invitation  in  Kansas,  Ohio,  New  York,  and 
several  of  the  New  England  States.  His  speeches 
were  pronounced  masterly.  Cooper  Institute  was 
thronged  to  hear  him  in  New  York  city,  and  he  was 
introduced  by  the  poet  Bryant.  The  next  morning, 
the  Tribune  said,  "  No  man  ever  before  made  such  an 
impression  on  his  first  appeal  to  a  New  York  audience." 

While  in  New  York,  two  incidents  transpired,  which 
show  much  of  the  man.  He  met  an  old  acquaintance 
from  Illinois  in  a  mercantile  establishment.  "  How 
have  you  fared  since  you  left  Illinois  t "  inquired  Mr. 
Lincoln. 


314       PIOAEER  HOME    TO  JVHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  have  made  a  himdrcd  thousand  dollars,  and  lost 
it  all.     And  how  is  it  with  you,  Mr.  Lincoln  .?" 

"  Oh,  very  well,"  Mr.  Lincoln  replied  ;  **  I  have  the 
cottage  at  Springfield,  and  about  eight  thousand  dollars 
in  money.  If  they  make  me  vice-president  with  Sevi^ard, 
as  some  say  they  will,  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  increase 
it  to  twenty  thousand  ;  and  that  is  as  much  as  any  man 
ought  to  want." 

He  stopped  in  New  York  over  Sunday,  and  strolled 
alone  into  the  Sabbath  School  of  the  Five  Points  Mis- 
sion, interested  to  learn  what  could  be  done  for  the 
street  children  of  the  city.  The  superintendent  was 
impressed  by  the  appearance  of  the  visitor,  and  invited 
him  to  address  the  girls  and  boys.  Without  hesitation, 
he  consented,  and  immediately  began  a  little  speech 
that  completely  captivated  his  young  listeners.  Sev- 
eral times  he  essayed  to  stop,  but  his  listeners  cried 
out,  "Go  on,  go  on,  sir."  "Do  go  on."  It  was  an 
unusual  address,  and  charmed  both  teacher  and  pupil 
alike.  When  he  was  about  to  depart,  the  superintend- 
ent said  : 

"  Pardon  me  ;  may  I  have  the  pleasure  of  knowing 
who  my  visitor  is  .-*  " 

"  Abraham  Lincoln  of  Illinois,"  he  replied. 

He  spoke  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  and  subsequently  Dr. 
Gulliver  published  the  following  instructive  and,  inter- 
esting account  of  his  interview  with  him,  on  the  next 
morning  after  listening  to  him  :  — 

"The  next  morning  I  met  him  at  the  railroad 
station,  where  he  was  conversing  with  our  Mayor, 
every  few  minutes  looking  up  the  track  and  inquir- 
ing,  half    impatiently  and  half  quizzically,    'Where's 


GOING    UP  HIGHER. 


315 


that  "wagon"  of  yours?  Why  don't  the  ''wagon" 
come  along  ? '  On  being  introduced  to  him,  he  fixed 
his  eyes  upon  me,  and  said :  '  I  have  seen  you  before, 
sir  ! '  'I  think  not,'  I  repHed  :  'you  must  mistake  me 
for  some  other  person.'  'No,  I  don't;  I  saw  you  at 
the  Town  Hall,  last  evening.'  'Is  it  possible,  Mr. 
Lincoln,  that  you  could  observe  individuals  so  closely 
in  such  a  crowd  } '  '  Oh,  yes  ! '  he  replied,  laughing  ; 
'  that  is  my  way.  I  don't  forget  faces.  Were  you 
not  there.?'  'I  was,  sir,  and  I  was  well  paid  for 
going ; '  adding,  somewhat  in  the  vein  of  pleasantry  he 
had  started,  '  I  consider  it  one  of  the  most  extraordi- 
nary speeches  I  ever  heard.' 

"As  we  entered  the  cars,  he  beckoned  me  to "  take 
a  seat  with  him,  and  said,  in  a  most  agreeably  frank 
way,  'Were  you  sincere  in  what  you  said  about  my 
speech  just  now  } ' 

"  '  I  meant  every  word  of  it,  Mr.  Lincoln.  Why,  an 
old  dyed-in-the-wool  Democrat,  who  sat  near  me, 
applauded  you  repeatedly,  and  when  rallied  upon  his 
conversion  to  sound  principles,  answered :  '  I  don't 
believe  a  word  he  says,  but  I  can't  help  clapping  him, 
he  's  so  pat y     That  I  call  the  triumph  of  oratory.* 

"When  you  convince  a  man  against  his  will, 
Though  he  is  of  the  same  opinion  stilh" 

'Indeed,  sir,  I  learned  more  of  the  art  of  public 
speaking  last  evening  than  I  could  from  a  whole 
course  of  lectures  on  Rhetoric* 

"'Ah!  that  reminds  me,'  said  he,  'of  a  most 
extraordinary  ■  circumstance  which  occurred  in  New 
Haven  the  other  day.     They  told  me  that  the  Pro- 


3l6        PIOXEER  HOxME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

fessor  of  Rhetoric  in  Yale  College, — a  very  learned 
man,  is  n't  he  ? ' 

"  *  Yes,  sir,  and  a  fine  critic  too.' 

"  *  Well,  I  suppose  so ;  he  ought  to  be,  at  any 
rate,  —  they  told  me  that  he  came  to  hear  me,  and 
took  notes  of  my  speech,  and  gave  a  lecture  on  it  to 
his  class  the  next  day ;  and,  not  satisfied  with  that, 
he  followed  me  up  to  Meriden  the  next  evening,  and 
heard  me  again  for  the  same  purpose.  Now,  if  this  is 
so,  it  is  to  my  mind  very  extraordinary.  I  should 
like  very  much  to  know  what  it  was  in  my  speech  you 
thought  so  remarkable,  and  what  you  suppose  inter- 
ested my  friend,  the  professor,  so  much.' 

"  *  The  clearness  of  your  statements,  Mr.  Lincoln  ; 
the  unanswerable  style  of  your  reasoning,  and 
especially  your  illustrations,  which  were  romance  and 
pathos,  and  fun  and  logic  all  welded  together.  That 
story  about  the  snakes,  for  example,  which  set  the 
hands  and  feet  of  your  Democratic  hearers  in  such 
vigorous  motion,  was  at  once  queer  and  comical,  and 
tragic  and  argumentative.  It  broke  through  all  the 
barriers  of  a  man's  previous  opinions  and  prejudices  at 
a  crash,  and  blew  up  the  very  citadel  of  his  false  theo- 
ries before  he  could  know  what  had  hurt  him.' 

"  *  Can  you  remember  any  other  illustrations,'  said 
he  *  of  this  peculiarity  of  my  style  .-* ' 

**  I  gave  him  others  of  the  same  sort,  occupying 
some  half-hour  in  the  critique,  when  he  said :  *  I  am 
much  obliged  to  you  for  this.  I  have  been  wishing 
for  a  long  time  to  find  some  one  who  would  make  this 
analysis  for  me.  It  throws  light  on  a  subject  which 
has  been  dark  to  me.     I  hope  you  have  not  been  too 


GOING   UP  HIGHER.  317 

flattering  in  your  estimate.  Certainly,  I  have  had  a 
most  wonderful  success,  for  a  man  of  my  limited 
education.* 

*'*That  suggests,  Mr.  Lincoln,  an  inquiry  which 
has  several  times  been  upon  my  lips  during  this 
conversation.  I  want  very  much  to  know  how 
you  got  this  unusual  power  of  *' putting  things." 
It  must  have  been  a  matter  of  education.  No  man 
has  it  by  nature  alone.  What  has  your  education 
been } ' 

"■ '  Well,  as  to  education,  the  newspapers  are  cor- 
rect ;  I  never  went  to  school  more  than  six  months 
in  my  life.  But,  as  you  say,  this  must  be  a  product 
of  culture  in  some  form.  I  have  been  putting  the 
question  you  ask  me  to  myself,  while  you  have  been 
talking.  I  can  say  this,  that  among  my  earliest 
recollections  I  remember  how,  when  a  mere  child,  I 
used  to  get  irritated  when  any  body  talked  to  me  in  a 
way  I  could  not  understand.  I  don't  think  I  ever 
got  angry  at  anything  else  in  my  life.  But  that 
always  disturbs  my  temper,  and  has  ever  since.  I 
can  remember  going  to  my  little  bed-room,  after 
hearing  the  neighbors  talk  of  an  evening  with  my 
father,  and  spending  no  small  part  of  the  night 
walking  up  and  down,  and  trying  to  make  out  what 
was  the  exact  meaning  of  some  of  their,  to  me,  dark 
sayings.  I  could  not  sleep,  though  I  often  tried  to, 
when  I  got  on  such  a  hunt  after  an  idea,  until  I  had 
caught  it ;  and  when  I  thought  I  had  got  it,  I  was  not 
satisfied  until  I  had  repeated  it  over  and  over,  until 
I  had  put  it  in  language  plain  enough,  as  I  thought, 
for  any  boy  I  knew  to  comprehend.     This  was  a  kind 


3l8       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


of  passion  with  me,  and  it  has  stuck  by  me ;  for  I  am 
never  easy  now,  when  I  am  hancUing  a  thought,  till 
I  have  bounded  it  North,  and  bounded  it  South,  and 
bounded  it  East,  and  bounded  it  West.  Perhaps 
that  accounts  for  the  characteristic  you  observe  in 
my  speeches,  though  I  never  put  the  two  things 
together  before.' 

"  *  Mr.  Lincoln,  I  thank  you  for  this.  It  is  the 
most  splendid  educational  fact  I  ever  happened 
upon.  But,  let  me  ask,  did  you  prepare  for  your 
profession } ' 

"*0h,  yes!  I  "read  law,"  as  the  phrase  is;  that 
is,  I  became  a  lawyer's  clerk  in  Springfield,  and 
copied  tedious  documents,  and  picked  up  what  I 
could  of  law  in  the  intervals  of  other  work.  But 
your  question  reminds  me  of  a  bit  of  education  I 
had,  which  I  am  bound  in  honesty  to  mention.  In 
the  course  of  my  law-reading,  I  constantly  came 
upon  the  word  demonstrate.  I  thought  at  first  that 
I  understood  its  meaning,  but  soon  became  satisfied 
that  I  did  not.  I  said  to  myself,  ''  What  do  I  mean 
when  I  demonstrate  more  than  when  I  reason  or 
prove?  How  does  demonstration  differ  from  any 
other  proof  .^"  I  consulted  Webster's  Dictionary. 
That  told  of  ''certain  proof,"  **  proof  beyond  the 
possibility  of  doubt  ; "  but  I  could  form  no  idea 
what  sort  of  proof  that  was.  I  thought  a  great 
many  things  were  proved  beyond  a  possibility  of 
doubt,  without  recourse  to  any  such  extraordinary 
process  of  reasoning  as  I  understood  "demonstra- 
tion "  to  be.  I  consulted  all  the  dictionaries  and 
books  of  reference  I  could  find,  but  with  no  better 


GOING    UP  HIGHER.  319 


results.  You  might  as  well  have  defined  blue  to  a 
blind  man.  At  last  I  said,  *' Lincoln,  you  can 
never  make  a  lawyer  if  you  do  not  understand  what 
demonstrate  means ; "  and  I  left  my  situation  in 
Springfield,  went  home  to  my  father's  house,  and 
stayed  there  till  I  could  give  any  proposition  in  the 
six  books  of  Euclid  at  sight.  I  then  found  out 
what  "demonstrate"  means,  and  went  back  to  my 
law-studies.' 

"  I  could  not  refrain  from  saying,  in  my  admiration 
at  such  a  development  of  character  and  genius 
combined  :  '  Mr.  Lincoln,  your  success  is  no  longer 
a  marvel.  It  is  the  legitimate  result  of  adequate 
causes.  You  deserve  it  all,  and  a  great  deal  more. 
If  you  will  permit  me,  I  would  like  to  use  this  fact 
publicly.  It  will  be  most  valuable  in  inciting  our 
young  men  to  that  patient  classical  and  mathemat- 
ical culture  which  most  minds  absolutely  require. 
No  man  can  talk  v/ell  unless  he  is  able  first  of  all 
to  define  to  himself  what  he  is  talking  about.  Eu- 
clid, well  studied,  would  free  the  world  of  half  its 
calamities,  by  banishing  half  the  nonsense  which 
now  deludes  and  curses  it.  I  have  often  thought 
that  Euclid  would  be  one  of  the  best  books  to  put 
on  the  catalogue  of  the  Tract  Society,  if  they  could 
only  get  people  to  read  it.  It  would  be  a  means  of 
grace.' 

'''\    think    so,'    said    he,    laughing;    *I    vote   for 

Euclid.' 

"Asweneared  the  end  of  our  journey,  Mr.  Lin- 
coln turned  to  me  very  pleasantly,  and  said :  *  I 
want    to    thank   you   for   this   conversation.     I    have 


320       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

enjoyed  it  very  much/  I  replied,  referring  to  some 
stalwart  denunciations  he  had  just  been  uttering  of 
the  demoralizing  influence  of  Washington  upon 
Northern  politicians  in  respect  to  the  slavery  ques- 
tion, *Mr.  Lincoln,  may  I  say  one  thing  to  you 
before  we  separate  ? ' 

"  '  Certainly,  anything  you  please/ 

"  *  You  have  just  spoken  of  the  tendency  of  po- 
litical life  in  Washington  to  debase  the  moral  con- 
victions of  our  representatives  there  by  the  admix- 
ture of  considerations  of  mere  political  expediency. 
You  have  become,  by  the  controversy  with  Mr. 
Douglas,  one  of  our  leaders  in  this  great  struggle 
with  slavery,  which  is  undoubtedly  the  struggle  of 
the  nation  and  the  age.  What  I  would  like  to  say 
is  this,  and  I  say  it  with  a  full  heart,  Be  trtie  to  your 
frinciplcs  and  we  will  be  true  to  you,  and  God  will 
be  true  to  us  all  I'  His  homely  face  lighted  up 
instantly  with  a  beaming  expression,  and  taking  my 
hand  warmly  in  both  of  his,  he  said :  '  I  say  Amen 
to  that  —  Amen  to  that ! ' 

The  National  Republican  Convention  assembled  in 
Chicago  on  the  sixteenth  day  of  June,  i860.  A 
mammoth  "  Wigwam  "  was  erected  to  accommodate  the 
dclc.i';atcs  and  crowd  of  spectators  It  was  estimated 
that  twenty-five  thousand  men  attended  that  conven- 
tion. Fifteen  hundred  of  them  slept  under  the  roof 
of  a  single  hotel. 

The  candidates  for  President  were  William  H.  Sew- 
ard, Salmon  P.  Chase,  Edward  Bates,  Judge  McLean, 
Willliam  L.  Dayton,  Simon  Cameron,  Abraham  Lin- 
coln and  Benjamin  P\  Wade.     It  must  be  conceded, 


GOING    UP  HIGHER.  32 1 

however,  that  Mr.  Seward  was  by  far  the  most  pronii- 
nent,  and  his  nomination  was  generally  expected  by 
Republicans  in  the  East,  if  not  in  the  West.  Indeed, 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  not  known  to  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
Republican  party,  outside  of  the  western  States.  Mr. 
Chase  and  Judge  Bates  were  better  known  to  the 
people  of  the  whole  country  than  he.  But  the  ballot- 
ing proved  that  Mr.  Seward  was  not  so  strong  a 
candidate  as  many  anticipated.  Mr.  Chase  had  forty- 
nine  votes,  and  Judge  Bates  forty-eight,  in  the  infor- 
mal ballot,  while  Mr.  Lincoln  had  one  hundred  and 
two.  It  was  evident  that  Mr.  Seward  could  not  be 
nominated.  There  were  not  a  sufficient  number 
to  leave  their  favorite  candidates  for  him,  to  secure 
his  nomination.  But  as  the  result  proved,  there  were 
enough  who  would  leave  the  men  of  their  choice  and 
vote  for  Mr.  Lincoln,  to  elect  him.  To  them  Mr.  Lin- 
coln was  a  compromise  candidate,  whom  they  preferred, 
if  they  could  not  have  the  man  of  their  choice.  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  nominated  on  the  third  ballot.  The  scene 
that  followed  the  announcement  beggars  description. 
Not  a  storm,  but  a  hurricane  of  uncontrollable  enthu- 
siasm burst  from  the  vast  assembly,  augmented  by 
the  multitude  waiting  outside,  who  in  response  to  the 
cry  of  a  messenger  stationed  upon  the  roof  of  the 
*' Wigwam,"  ^' Fire  the  salute!  Abe  Lincoln  is  nomi- 
nated,'' rent  the  air  with  their  deafening  shouts,  while 
the  thundering  roar  of  cannon,  peal  on  peal,  swelled 
the  din  into  fearful  proportions. 

The  news  was  flashed  over  the  wires  to  Springfield  ; 
and,  when  it  was  received  at  the  ofhce  of  the  Journal, 
where  Mr.  Lincoln  and  a  few  of  his  neighbors  were 


322        PIONEER   HOME    TO  JVII/TE   HOUSE. 

gathered,  the  excitement  of  Chicago  was  repeated  on 
a  smaller  scale,  and  the  nominee  was  overwhelmed 
with  congratulations.  Taking  the  telegram  up,  Mr. 
Lincoln  remarked  :  — 

"  Well,  gentlemen,  there  is  a  little  woman  at  our 
house  who  is  probably  more  interested  in  this  dispatch 
than  I  am  ;  and  if  you  will  excuse  me,  I  will  take  it  up 
and  let  her  see  it." 

The  committee  of  the  Chicago  Convention  officially 
notified. Mr.  Lincoln  of  his  nomination,  at  his  home 
on  the  following  day.  A  few  citizens,  desiring  that 
their  distinguished  townsman  should  conform  to  an 
old  political  custom,  on  so  important  an  occasion,  pur- 
chased a  quantity  of  the  choicest  liquors  they  could 
find,  and  sent  them  to  his  house.  Mr.  Lincoln 
promptly  returned  them,  with  the  characteristic  mes- 
sage :  — 

"  You  know  that  we  never  do  any  such  thing  at  our 
house." 

The  correspondent  of  the  *' Portland  Press,"  who 
was  present,  says  that,  after  the  official  ceremonies 
and  formal  introductions  ended,  a  servant  brought  in  a 
waiter,  containing  a  large  pitcher  and  several  glass  tum- 
blers, when  "  Mr.  Lincoln  arose,  and  gravely  addressing 
the  company,  said  :  '  Gentlemen,  we  must  pledge  our 
mutual  healths  in  the  most  healthy  beverage  which 
God  has  given  to  man  —  it  is  the  only  beverage  I  have 
ever  used  or  allowed  in  my  family,  and  I  cannot  con- 
scientiously depart  from  it  on  the  present  occasion  —  it 
is  pure  Adam's  ale,  from  the  spring ;  *  and,  taking  a 
tumbler,  he  touched  it  to  his  lips,  and  pledged  them 
his  highest  respects  in  a  cup  of  cold  water.     Of  course 


^"N*.-^-^ 


GOING    UP  HIGHER.  323 

all  his  guests  were  constrained  to  admire  his  consis- 
tency, and  to  join  in  his  example." 

His  neighbors  supposed  tljat  he  would  yield  his 
temperance  principles  to  the  demands  of  the  august 
occasion ;  but  he  was  not  the  man  to  do  that.  The 
statesman  who  dared  to  oppose  his  own  best  friends, 
and  say  to  the  world,  **  a  house  divided  against  itself 
cannot  stand,"  would  not  sacrifice  his  principles  now 
for  a  glass  of  wine. 

He  received  the  honored  guests  with  the  simplicity 
and  informality  for  which  he  was  famed,  and,  after 
assuring  them  that  he  had  nothing  stronger  than 
"Adam's  ale"  in  his  house,  he  drank  their  health  in 
the  "sparkling  beverage."  He  never  performed  a 
more  independent,  consistent,  and  worthy  act  than 
that.  He  stood  by  his  temperance  principles  just  as 
he  did  by  his  anti-slavery  principles. 

His  nomination  created  the  most  intense  excitement 
and  bitterness  in  the  slave  States.  Threats  of  seces- 
sion and  rebellion  came  from  them  with  every  wind 
that  blew.  His  election  in  the  following  November 
was  the  signal  for  the  southern  leaders  to  prepare  for 
civil  war  and  the  dissolution  of  the  Union.  Before 
Inauguration  Day  arrived  seven  of  the  southern  States 
had  seceded  and  organized  a  southern  Confederacy. 
Mutterings  of  the  coming  storm  were  heard.  The 
war-cloud  was  gathering,  dark  and  ominous.  The 
thunder  of  arms  was  heard  in  the  distance.  Beaten 
with  the  ballot,  the  champions  of  slavery  resolved  to 
conquer  with  the  bullet.     War  seemed  inevitable. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  overwhelmed  with  visitors  from 
the  day  of  his  nomination,  until  he  removed  to  the 


324       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

White  House.  All  classes,  high  and  low,  rich  and 
poor,  great  and  little,  flocked  to  see  the  "  tall  man  elo- 
quent," and  shake  his  hand.  Some  curious  incidents 
occurred,  which  exhibit  the  noble  qualities  of  the 
presidential  candidate  far  better  than  words.  Two 
young  men  entered  the  Executive  chamber  of  the 
State  House,  where  he  received  his  friends,  and  lin- 
gered near  the  door.  Observing  them,  Mr.  Lincoln 
approached  them,  saying  :  — 

"  How  do  you  do,  my  good  fellows  }  What  can  I  do 
for  you  }     Will  you  sit  down  }  " 

"  We  do  not  care  to  sit,"  replied  the  shorter  of  the 
two, 

"  I  am  at  your  service,"  continued  Mr.  Lincoln  in 
his  familiar  way,  aiming  to  make  the  diffident  young 
men  feel  at  home. 

"  I  had  some  talk  with  my  friend  here,"  continued 
the  young  man,  "■  about  your  height,  Mr.  Lincoln. 
He  thinks  he  is  just  as  tall  as  you  are." 

"Ah  !  "  responded  Mr.  Lincoln  with  a  broad  smile, 
at  the  same  tirnc  scanning  the  ''tall  companion,"  "he 
is  long  certainly.  Let  us  see  about  that."  He  went 
for  his  cane  and  returning,  said  : 

"  Here,  young  man,  we'll  see  who  is  the  longest." 

Placing  the  end  of  the  cane  upon  the  wall,  he  said  : 

"  Come  under  here,  young  man.  We  can  settle 
that  question  in  a  minute." 

The  young  man  stepped  under  the  cane,  and  when 
it  was  carefully  adjusted,  Mr.  Lincoln  continued  :  "  Now 
step  out  and  hold  the  cane  while  I  go  under." 

No  quicker  said  than  done. 

*'  He  is  just  my  height  exactly,"  he  remarked  to  the 


GOING    UP  HIGHER.  325 


shorter  visitor;  ''he  guessed  with  remarkable  accu- 
racy." Then  taking  each  of  them  by  the  hand  with 
words  of  encouragement,  he  bade  them  good  by. 

He  saw  that  the  two  young  men  were  well  meaning, 
but  verdant,  unacquainted  with  the  proprieties  of  the 
occasion ;  but,  sooner  than  have  them  feel  that  they 
had  insulted  his  dignity  he  would  measure  "  height " 
with  them  a  dozen  times  over. 

An  old  woman  came  in  to  see  him  "because  he 
used  to  dine  at  her  house  when  he  was  on  the  Circuit." 
Mr.  Lincoln  could  not  remember  her,  until  she  had 
called  his  attention,  definitely  to  certain  incidents. 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  I  remember  now,"  he  said,  shaking  her 
hand  heartily ;  "  I  hope  it  is  well  with  you,  my  dear 
woman." 

"  Do  you  remember  that  scanty  dinner  I  gave  you 
one  day  .^" 

"  No,  I  am  sure  I  do  not  remember  anything  scant 
at  your  house." 

"  Well,  you  did  have  a  scanty  dinner  one  day,"  she 
added.  "You  came  along  just  as  we  were  through 
dinner,  and  every  thing  was  eaten  up  ;  so  that  I  had 
nothing  to  give  you  but  a  bowl  of  bread  and  milk,  and 
you  ate  it,  and  when  you  got  up,  and  I  apologized  for 
having  nothing  better,  you  replied,  '  Why,  that  is  quite 
good  enough  for  the  President  of  the  United  States.'  " 

Mr.  Lincoln  laughed  and  invoked  a  blessing  on  her 
head,  fully  appreciating  the  well-meant  friendship  that 
brought  her  eight  miles  on  purpose  to  remind  him  of 
the  "  scanty  dinner." 

Among  his  callers  was  Hannah  Armstrong,  widow 
of  Jack  and  mother  of  William  ;  and  a  more  sincere 


326       PIOXEER  HOME    TO    WHITE   HOUSE. 

and  worshipful  visitor  he  did  not  have.  "  He  talked  to 
me  just  as  he  did  when  Jack  was  alive,"  she  said  after- 
wards. "  I  talked  to  him  some  time,  and  was  about  to 
bid  him  good-by.  I  had  told  him  that  it  was  the  last 
time  I  should  ever  see  him  ;  something  told  me  I 
should  never  see  him  again ;  they  would  kill  him. 
He  smiled  and  said,  'Hannah,  if  they  do  kill  me,  I 
shall  never  die  another  death.'     Then  I  bade  him  good- 

by." 

A  grand  reception  was  tendered  him  in  Chicago. 
He  observed  a  little  girl  approaching  very  timidly. 
Beckoning  to  her  kindly,  he  said  :  "  Little  girl,  what 
will  you  have  .-*  " 

'*  I  want  your  name,"  she  hesitatingly  replied.  Just 
then  Mr.  Lincoln  observed  several  other  little  girls 
approaching,  and  he  responded  : 

"  But  here  are  several  other  little  girls  —  they  would 
feel  badly  if  I  should  give  my  name  only  to  you." 

"There  are  eight  of  us  in  all,"  she  answered,  "and 
all  of  us  want  your  name," 

"  Then  get  me  eight  sheets  of  paper,  with  pen  and 
ink,  and  I  will  see  what  can  be  done  for  you." 

The  paper  was  brought,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  sat  down 
at  a  table,  in  the  crowded  room,  and  wrote  a  line  upon 
each  sheet,  appending  his  name  thereto. 

A  little  boy  of  about  three  years  came  into  the  room 
with  his  father.  As  soon  as  he  entered,  he  swung  his 
hat,  and  cried  out,  "  Hurrah  for  Lincoln  !  "  The 
people  laughed,  and  Mr.  Lincoln,  joining  them,  caught 
up  the  little  fellow  and  gave  him  a  toss  towards  the 
ceiling,  exclaiming,  "  Hurrah  for  you  !  " 

These  were  pleasant  episodes  to  a  man  of  so  much 


GOING    UP  HIGHER.  327 

simplicity  and  real  kindness  as  Mr.  Lincoln  possessed, 
in  the  general  reception  of  dignitaries,  —  governors, 
statesmen,  senators,  judges,  divines,  etc. 

On  the  sixth  of  November,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  elected 
President  by  the  popular  vote  of  1,857,610,  —  491,634 
votes  more  than  were  cast  for  Mr.  Douglas.  In  the 
Electoral  College  he  received  180  votes,  and  Mr. 
Douglas  only  12;  the  others  being  divided  between 
Breckinridge  and  Bell. 

A  few  days  before  the  election,  the  Republicans  of 
Springfield  placed  the  result  of  a  canvass  of  Spring- 
field in  Mr.  Lincoln's  hand.  He  called  into  the  Ex- 
ecutive Chamber  Mr.  Newton  Bateman,  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction  for  the  State  of  Illinois,  whose 
office  was  in  the  building.  Having  locked  the  door, 
he  said  :  — 

"  I  have  called  you  in  to  assist  me  in  looking  over 
this  canvass  of  Springfield  ;  I  desire  to  know  how  the 
ministers  and  some  good  people  will  vote." 

Mr.  Bateman  assented  to  his  proposition,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  examine  the  book.  Mr.  Lincoln  frequently 
inquired  if  such  and  such  a  person  were  not  a  minister 
or  member  of  the  church,  to  which  Mr.  Bateman 
replied  according  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge.  With 
pencil  in  hand,  Mr.  Lincoln  kept  a  memorandum. 
When  the  examination  was  completed,  he  sat  in  silence, 
and  with  a  face  full  of  sadness  for  several  minutes. 
Then,  turning  to  Mr.  Bateman,  he  remarked :  — 

"I  don't  understand  it.  Here  are  several  ministers, 
of  different  denominations,  against  me,  and  here  are 
prominent  members  of  the  churches  against  me.  Mr. 
Bateman,  I  am  not  a  Christian,  —  God  knows,  I  would 


3^8       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

be  one,  —  but  I  have  carefully  read  the  Bible,  and  I  do 
not  so  understand  this  book,"  drawing  a  copy  of  the 
New  Testament  from  his  pocket.  After  a  brief  pause, 
he  continued  :  — 

*'  These  men  well  know  that  I  am  for  freedom  in  the 
Territories,  freedom  everywhere  as  far  as  the  Constitu- 
tion and  laws  will  permit,  and  that  my  opponents  are 
for  slavery.  They  know  this,  and  yet,  with  this  book 
in  their  hands,  in  the  light  of  which  human  bondage 
cannot  live  a  moment,  they  are  going  to  vote  against 
me.     I  do  not  understand  it  at  all." 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  on  his  feet,  evidently  filled  with 
emotion  over  the  grave  and  perilous  condition  of  the 
country.  In  silence  he  walked  up  and  down  the  room, 
going  back  and  forth  several  times,  with  deep  sadness 
depicted  on  his  face,  as  if  a  mighty  burden  were  rest- 
ing on  his  heart.  At  length,  suddenly  stopping  in  the 
centre  of  the  hall,  and  lifting  his  right  arm  heaven- 
ward, while  tears  were  on  his  cheek,  he  exclaimed  :  — 

**  I  know  there  is  a  God,  and  that  he  hates  injustice 
and  slavery.  I  see  the  storm  coming,  and  I  know 
that  His  hand  is  in  it.  If  He  has  a  place  and  work 
for  me,  I  am  ready.  I  am  nothing,  but  truth  is  every- 
thing. I  know  I  am  right,  because  I  know  that  liberty 
is  right.  I  have  told  them  that  a  house  divided  against 
itself  cannot  stand,  and  Christ  and  reason  say  the 
same ;  and  they  will  find  it  so.  Douglas  don't  care 
whether  slavery  is  voted  up  or  voted  down  ;  but  God 
cares,  and  humanity  cares,  and  I  care ;  and  with  God's 
help,  I  shall  not  fail.  I  may  not  see  the  end  ;  but  it 
will  come  ;  and  I  shall  be  vindicated  ;  and  these  men 
will  find  that  they  have  not  read  their  Bibles  aright." 


GOING   UP  HIGHER.  329 


He  spoke  much  of  this  as  if  sohloquizing,  and  then, 
turning  to  Mr.  Bateman,  he  added  :  — 

"  Does  it  not  appear  strange  that  men  can  ignore 
the  moral  aspects  of  the  contest  ?  A  revelation  could 
not  make  it  plainer  to  me  that  slavery  or  the  govern- 
ment must  be  destroyed.  The  future  would  be  some- 
thing awful,  as  I  look  at  it,  but  for  this  rock  on  which 
I  stand,  especially  with  the  knowledge  of  how  some  of 
these  ministers  are  going  to  vote.  It  seems  as  if  God 
had  borne  with  slavery  until  the  very  teachers  of 
religion  have  come  to  defend  it  from  the  Bible,  and 
to  claim  for  it  a  divine  character  and  sanction  [re- 
ferring to  Drs.  Ross  and  Palmer  of  the  South,  of 
whom  mention  had  been  made]  ;  and  now  the  cup 
of  iniquity  is  full,  and  the  vials  of  wrath  will  be  poured 
out." 

He  went  on  still  further,  expressing  his  confidence 
in  Divine  Providence,  declaring  that  "right  is  might," 
and  that  faith  in  God  "  is  indispensable  to  successful 
statesmanship  ; "  and  that  the  support  which  a  public 
man  receives  from  these  truths  is  grander  than  all 
other  support.  He  freely  announced  his  belief  in  the 
duty  and  power  of  prayer,  and  intimated  that  he  had 
sought  Divine  guidance  in  his  solemn  and  responsible 
position. 

Mr.  Bateman  responded  to  him  :  — 

"  I  have  not  supposed  that  you  were  accustomed  to 
think  so  much  upon  this  class  of  subjects.  Your 
friends  are  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  you  entertain  such 
pronounced  sentiments  on  these  topics  as  you  have 
expressed  to  me." 

"I  am  aware  of  that,"  Mr.  Lincoln  answered  ;  "but 


330       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


I  think  more  on  these  subjects  than  upon  all  others, 
and  I  have  done  so  for  years." 

That  Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  child  of  Providence,  v^ith- 
out  knowing  it,  led  and  disciplined  for  graver  respon- 
sibilities than  any  previous  President  had  ever  borne, 
not  excepting  Washington,  is  clear  to  the  Bible 
student.  His  language  was  that  of  prophecy,  and  his 
spirit  was  that  of  a  Christian  hero  and  martyr. 

Before  leaving  Springfield  for  Washington,  Mr. 
Lincoln  paid  his  mother  and  other  relatives  a  visit. 
His  mother  was  living  with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Moore, 
at  Farmington.  "  The  meeting  between  him  and  the 
old  lady,"  says  Mr.  Lamon,  **was  of  the  most  affec- 
tionate and  tender  character.  She  fondled  him  as  her 
own  '  Abe,'  and  he  her  as  his  own  mother." 

Mrs.  Lincoln  returned  with  her  son  to  Charleston 
that  they  might  enjoy  each  other's  company  still 
longer.  When  the  time  arrived  that  Mr.  Lincoln  must 
leave,  both  he  and  his  mother  were  deeply  affected. 
Mr.  Lamon  continues  :  — 

"  The  parting  between  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  mother 
was  very  touching.  She  embraced  him  with  deep 
emotion,  and  said  she  was  sure  she  should  never  behold 
him  again,  for  she  felt  that  '  his  enemies  would  assassi- 
nate him.* 

"  *  No,  no,  mother  ;  they  will  not  do  that.  Trust  in 
the  Lord  and  all  will  be  well ;  we  shall  see  each  other 
again.' 

"  Inexpressibly  affected  by  this  new  evidence  of 
her  tender  attachment  and  deep  concern  for  his 
safety,  he  gradually  and  reluctantly  withdrew  from 
her    arms,    feeling    more    deeply    oppressed    by    the 


GOING   UP  HIGHER.  33 1 

heavy  cares  which  time  and  events  were  rapidly  aug- 
menting." 

Mrs.  Lincoln  was  not  alone  in  her  fears  that  her 
son  would  come  to  an  untimely  end.  Neighbors  and 
friends  in  Springfield  were  equally  anxious. 

"  They  will  throw  the  cars  from  the  track,"  one 
suggested. 

*'  Some  one  will  stab  him  in  the  crowd,"  another. 

"  He  will  be  poisoned  before  the  fourth  of  March," 
still  another. 

"  He  will  be  shot  from  a  housetop  on  inauguration 
day,"  a  fourth. 

*'  You  ought  to  take  a  cook  with  you  from  your  own 
female  friends,"  suggested  a  fifth. 

On  the  eleventh  day  of  February,  1861,  Mr.  Lin- 
coln left  Springfield  for  Washington  with  his  family. 
A  multitude  of  friends  and  neighbors  gathered  at  the 
depot  for  a  parting  hand-shake.  From  the  platform  of 
the  cars,  he  addressed  the  company. 

"  My  Friends  —  No  one  not  in  my  position  can  appreciate 
the  sadness  I  feel  at  this  parting.  To  this  people  I  owe  all  that 
I  am.  Here  I  have  lived  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
Here  my  children  were  born,  and  here  one  of  them  lies  buried. 
I  know  not  how  soon  I  shall  see  you  again.  A  duty  devolves  on 
me  which  is  greater,  perhaps,  than  that  which  has  devolved  upon 
any  other  man  since  the  days  of  Washington.  He  never  would 
have  succeeded  except  for  the  aid  of  Divine  Providence,  upon 
which  he  at  all  times  relied.  I  feel  that  I  cannot  succeed  without 
the  same  divine  aid  which  sustained  him,  and  on  the  same 
Almii^hty  Being  I  place  my  reliance  for  support  ;  and  I  hope 
you,  my  friends,  will  pray  that  I  may  receive  that  divine  assist- 
ance, without  which  I  cannot  succeed,  but  with  which  success  is 
certain.     Again  I  bid  you  all  an  affectionate  farewell." 


332       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

His  journey  to  Washington  was  signalized  by  sincere 
demonstrations  of  respect  and  honor.  His  passage 
was  Uke  that  of  a  conqueror.  From  the  beginning  to 
the  end  of  his  journey,  it  was  one  splendid  ovation. 
At  all  the  cities  on  the  route,  he  addressed  the  vast 
multitudes  assembled,  and  his  sentiments  were  eagerly 
caught  up  and  borne  over  the  land  ;  for  the  people 
were  eager  to  obtain  the  least  hint  of  his  future  policy. 
His  speeches  were  characterized  by  that  thoughtful, 
sound,  solid,  clear,  and  logical  element  that  ever  dis- 
tinguished his  best  efforts. 

The  presidential  party  was  met  at  Philadelphia  by 
the  son  of  Mr.  Seward,  with  the  startling  intelligence 
that  a  plot  had  been  discovered  to  assassinate  the 
President-elect  when  he  passed  through  Baltimore  on 
the  following  day.  Threats  of  assassination  had  been 
heard  again  and  again,  and  now  detectives  supposed 
that  they  had  discovered  a  veritable  plot,  and  that 
speedy  action  alone  could  thwart  the  purpose  of  the 
conspirators. 

A  consultation  with  Mr.  Lincoln  followed,  and  it 
was  arranged  that,  instead  of  going  on  the  presidential 
train  the  next  day,  Mr.  Lincoln  should  be  taken 
through  that  night  to  Washington  by  the  night  ex- 
press. At  half-past  six  next  morning  he  reached 
Washington,  and  the  news  of  his  arrival  was  flashed 
at  once  over  the  country  by  the  telegraphic  wires. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 
LIFE   IN  THE   WHITE   HOUSE. 

UR  purpose  being  to  see  the  man  Lincoln 
in   the   highest   office,  as  we  saw  the  boy 
Abraham  in  his  pioneer  home,  we  shall  not 
recount  his  public  deeds  in  overthrowing  the 
*'  Rebellion,"  which  lasted  during  his  entire  life  in  the 
Executive  Mansion.     His  remarkable  success  in  mar- 
shalling the  "  Union  Army  "  of  more  than  two  million 
men,  controlling  the  perilous  factions  of  the  country, 
securing  the  confidence  of  every  true  patriot  in  the 
land,  organizing  victory  upon  a  thousand  battle-fields, 
creating   a    powerful    navy,    raising    three    thousand 
million  dollars  for  the  war,  restoring  the  public  credit, 
emancipating  four  million  slaves,  and  restoring  peace 
upon  a  stronger  basis  than  ever,  is  well  known  to  the 
world.     These  achievements  caused  M.  Laboulaye  to 
exclaim,  at  the  College  of  France,  before  an  immense 
audience  of  the  elite  of  the  intellectual  world,  "  Mr. 
Lincoln  is  a  greater  man  than  Cesar."    To  record 
a  history  of  these  achievements  would  require  a  vol- 
ume instead  of  two  or  three  chapters,  and  even  then  the 
real  character  of  the  man  might  not  appear  so  clearly 
as   it   does   in   certain   incidents   of    his   presidential 


334       riOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

career.  In  his  daily  life,  at  the  head  of  the  nation,  we 
are  to  find  those  qiiahties  of  mind  and  heart  which 
made  him  truly  great.  Incidents  will  illustrate  his 
ability,  honesty,  patriotism,  industry,  kindness,  self- 
reliance,  firmness,  tact,  wit,  genius,  magnanimity,  and 
influence,  far  better  than  declamation.  For  this  reason 
we  shall  present  his  presidential  career  through  the 
most  instructive  incidents  of  his  life  in  the  White 
House. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  inaugurated  on  the  fourth  of  March, 
1 86 1.  A  vast  concourse  of  people  assembled  at  Wash- 
ington to  witness  the  imposing  ceremonies.  Fears  of 
an  outbreak  and  the  possible  assassination  of  the 
President  led  General  Scott  to  provide  ample  military 
defence  of  the  city.  President  Lincoln  closed  his 
inaugural  address  with  the  following  touching  appeal 
to  the  enemies  of  the  Government  :  — 

"  In  your  hands,  my  dissatisfied  fellow-countrymen,  and  not  in 
mine,  is  the  momentous  issue  of  civil  war.  The  government  will 
not  assail  you.  You  can  have  no  conflict  without  being  your- 
selves the  aggressors.  You  have  no  oath  registered  in  heaven 
to  destroy  the  government  ;  while  I  shall  have  the  most  solemn 
one  to  preserve,  protect,  and  defend  it.  I  am  loath  to  close. 
We  are  not  enemies,  but  friends.  We  must  not  be  enemies. 
Though  passion  may  be  strained,  it  must  not  lireak  our  bonds  of 
affection.  The  mystic  chords  of  memory,  stretching  from  every 
battle-field  and  patriot  grave  to  every  living  heart  and  hearth- 
stone all  over  this  broad  land,  will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the 
Union,  when  again  touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the  better 
angels  of  our  nature." 

On  that  morning,  Mrs.  Lincoln  relates,  he  read  his 
inaugural  address  to  his  family  ;  and  after  having  read 
it,  he  requested  to  be  left  alone.     The  door  stood  ajar, 


LIFE   FN   THE  WHITE   HOUSE.  335 


and  his  friends  distinctly  heard  him  in  prayer,  com- 
mending himself,  his  country,  and  his  family  to  the 
care  and  protection  of  God.  The  weight  of  responsi- 
bility laid  upon  him  was  too  great  for  his  human  heart 
to  bear  alone.  His  Cabinet  were  William  H.  Seward, 
Secretary  of  State  ;  Salmon  P.  Chase,  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury ;  Simon  Cameron,  Secretary  of  War ; 
Gideon  Welles,  Secretary  of  the  Navy  ;  Caleb  B.  Smith, 
Secretary  of  the  Interior ;  Montgomery  Blair,  Post- 
master-General ;  and  Edward  Bates,  Attorney-General, 
—  a  body  of  advisers  with  whom  the  loyal  people 
were  well  pleased. 

A  distinguished  senator  said  to  President  Lincoln, 
just  after  his  inauguration  :  — 

"  You  have  as  difficult  a  task  in  hand  as  Washinc:- 
ton  had,  when  he  took  command  of  the  American 
army,  and  as  little  to  do  with." 

"  That  is  true,  substantially,"  replied  the  President, 
*'but  then  I  have  larger  resources  to  draw  from,"  a 
reply  which  showed  that  a  hopeful,  discriminating, 
thoughtful  man  had  moved  into  the  Executive 
Mansion. 

**  You  are  right,  Mr.  President,"  responded  the 
Senator ;  "  but  my  remark  had  reference  to  the  weak 
condition  of  the  government,  as  the  out-going  adminis- 
tration left  it  —  no  money,  no  army,  no  navy,  no 
fire-arms,  no  nothing  for  you  to  begin  with." 

**  But  really,  I  have  what  is  better,  the  patriotism  of 
the  loyal  people,"  was  the  President's  just  and  noble 
reply.  Honorable  Henry  J.  Raymond,  speaking  of  a 
leading  feature  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  administration,  said : 
**  From  the  outset  his  reliance  was  upon  the  spirit  and 


33^        PIONEER   HOME    TO  WHITE   HOUSE. 

patriotism  of  the  people.  He  had  no  overweening 
estimate  of  his  own  sagacity,  he  was  quite  sensible  of 
his  lack  of  that  practical  knowledge  of  men  and  affairs 
which  experience  of  both  alone  can  give ;  but  he  had 
faith  in  the  devotion  of  the  people  to  the  principles  of 
Republican  government,  in  their  attachment  to  the 
Constitution  and  the  Union,  and  in  that  intuitive 
sagacity  of  a  great  community  which  always  trans- 
cends the  most  cunning  devices  of  individual 
men,  and  in  a  great  and  perilous  crisis,  more  re- 
sembles inspiration  than  the  mere  deductions  of  the 
human  intellect.  At  the  very  outset  of  his  administra- 
tion. President  Lincoln  cast  himself,  without  reserve 
and  without  fear,  upon  this  reliance."  A  man  of  less 
confidence  in  the  ability  and  fidelity  of  the  loyal 
people  for  such  a  crisis  would  not  have  been  qualified 
for  his  position. 

The  senator  referred  to  facts  with  which  the  country 
was  familiar ;  that  is,  that  the  National  Government 
had  been  under  the  control  of  the  South,  especially 
during  the  previous  administration,  and  that  the 
cabinet  had  used  their  opportunity  to  prepare  for  civil 
war,  by  taking  possession  of  its  resources,  that  north- 
ern strength  might  be  diminished.  Howell  Cobb  was 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under  the  previous  admin- 
istration, and  he  was  a  slaveholder  from  Georgia. 
He  left  the  public  treasury  without  a  dollar,  and  the 
national  credit  so  much  impaired  that  borrowing 
money  was  difficult,  if  not  impossible.  It  was  supposed 
that  he  used  several  million  dollars  of  the  public 
money  in  preparation  for  the  rebellion.  John  B. 
Floyd  was   Secretary  of   War ;   and   he   was  a  slave- 


LIFE  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  337 


holder  from  Virginia.  He  depleted  northern  arsenals, 
as  Cobb  depleted  the  treasury,  and  sent  rifles, 
muskets,  cannon,  mortars,  balls,  powder  and  shells,  to 
important  posts  in  the  South.  The  "Memphis 
Appeal,"  a  disloyal  journal  of  Tennessee,  said  that 
"seven  hundred  and  seven  thousand  stand  of  arms, 
and  two  hundred  thousand  revolvers,  were  distributed 
at  convenient  points  in  the  South,  by  the  action  of 
Secretary  Floyd,  at  the  commencement  of  the  Re- 
bellion." Isaac  Toucey  of  Connecticut  was  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  and  though  not  a  slaveholder,  he  was  as 
servile  a  tool  in  the  hands  of  rebel  manipulators  as 
lived ;  and  he  scattered  our  navy,  ninety  vessels,  so 
widely  that  it  could  be  of  no  immediate  service  to  the 
government,  when  the  South  should  rise  up  against  it. 
Only  two  vessels  of  our  entire  naval  squadron  remained 
in  northern  ports  when  Mr.  Lincoln  became  Presi- 
dent. It  was  to  this  discouraging  condition  of  affairs 
that  the  senator  referred  in  addressing  Mr.  Lincoln. 
The  latter  closed  the  interview  by  telling  a  story. 

"  Did  you  read  the  prophecy  which  the  papers  say 
was  spoken  about  my  administration } "  asked  Mr. 
Lincoln. 

The  senator  signified  that  he  had  not. 

"Well,"  added  Mr.  Lincoln,  "a  prophet  foretells 
that  my  administration  will  be  the  reign  of  steel.  To 
which  a  wag  replied,  '  Buchanan's  was  the  reign  of 


stealing.'  " 


Mr.  Lincoln's  humor  aided  his  hopefulness  wonder- 
fully in  the  very  embarrassing  circumstances  in  which 
he  found  the  government,  and  thereby  he  was  all  the 
better  fitted  to  rule  the  nation  at  such  a  time. 


33S       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

It  was  very  important  that  a  leading  Democrat  in 
Congress  should  stand  squarely  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  ad- 
ministration ;  and  Senator  Douglas,  the  President's 
old  antagonist,  was  the  man,  above  all  others,  to  do  it. 
Therefore  Mr.  Ashmun,  of  Massachusetts,  called  upon 
him  on  the  day  after  the  fall  of  Sumter,  April  14th, 
1 86 1,  just  as  the  President  was  completing  his  procla- 
mation and  call  for  seventy-five  thousand  militia. 

"•  No  man  can  render  greater  service  to  the  country 
than  yourself  now,  IVIr.  Douglas,"  said  Mr.  Ashmun  ; 
"  and  I  want  you  to  go  to  the  President  and  assure 
him  of  your  cordial  support  in  all  necessary  measures 
to  subdue  the  rebellion." 

"  Mr.  Lincoln  has  dealt  hardly  with  me,  in  removing 
some  of  my  friends  from  office,"  replied  Mr.  Douglas, 
"and  I  don't  know  as  he  wants  my  advice  or  aid." 

"  But  Mr.  Lincoln  followed  Democratic  precedents 
in  such  removals,"  suggested  Mr.  Ashmun.  "  How- 
ever, this  is  a  time  when  the  question  of  saving  the 
Union  towers  above  all  party  affiliations,  and  you  can 
put  the  country  under  lasting  gratitude  to  yourself, 
and  show  the  people,  also,  that,  in  the  hour  of  national 
peril,  you  can  trample  all  party  considerations  under 
your  feet." 

"  True,  very  true,"  responded  Mr.  Douglas,  with 
considerable  emotion  ;  ''and  no  man  shall  excel  me  in 
devotion  to  my  country.  My  whole  nature  rises  up  to 
condemn  this  Rebellion." 

Here,  Mrs.  Douglas,  who  was  present,  joined  Mr. 
Ashmun  in  the  most  affectionate  appeals  to  her  hus- 
band, to  take  the  important  step  suggested.  The  result 
was,  that  Senator  Douglas  accompanied  his  friend  to 


LIFE   IN   THE  WHITE  HOUSE. 


339 


the  White  House,  where  the  two  '^  giants  "  and  former 
antagonists  of  the  West  were  brought  face  to  face. 
Grasping  the  President  by  the  hand,  Mr.  Douglas 
said,  — 

''  You  are  my  President,  Mr.  Lincoln,  as  well  as  the 
country's." 

The  President's  heart  was  touched,  and  he  shook  the 
senator's  hand  heartily,  thanking  him  for  his  cordial 
support,  and  assuring  him  that  the  administration 
would  appreciate  his  patriotic  position. 

''Now  permit  me  to  read  to  you  this  important  docu- 
ment," added  Mr.  Lincoln,  taking  up  his  proclamation 
in  which  he  called  for  seventy-five  thousand  troops; 
"  you  understand  the  situation  as  well  or  better  than  I, 
and  you  will  readily  see  the  wisdom  or  unwisdom  of 
the  measure." 

Senator  Douglas  signified  his  desire  to  hear  the 
document  read.  Slowly,  seriously,  and  distinctly  Mr. 
Lincoln  read  it  through,  when,  without  waiting  to  be 
asked,  Mr.  Douglas  said,  — 

''  Mr.  President,  I  cordially  concur  in  every  word  of 
that  document,  except  that,  instead  of  the  call  for 
seventy-five  thousand  men,  I  would  make  it  two  hun- 
dred thousand.  You  do  not  know  the  dishonest 
purposes  of  those  men  as  well  as  I  do." 

Turning  to  a  map  hanging  on  the  wall,  he  pointed  out 
the  many  strategic  points  that  should  be  strengthened 
at  once,  and  closed  by  adding,  that  "the  Government 
must  pursue  a  firm  and  warlike  course  to  crush  the 
Rebellion." 

On  retiring  from  the  President's  room,  Mr.  Ashmun 
said,  — 


340       PIONEER  HO.}rE   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"You  have  done  justice  to  your  own  reputation  and 
to  the  President ;  and  the  country  must  know  it.  The 
proclamation  will  go  by  telegraph  in  the  morning  all 
over  the  country,  and  the  account  of  this  interview 
must  go  with  it.  I  shall  send  it  either  in  my  own 
language  or  yours.  I  prefer  you  should  give  your  own 
version." 

Mr.  Douglas  consented  to  write  the  dispatch,  and 
the  following  day  the  country  knew  that  he  stood  side 
by  side  with  Mr.  Lincoln  in  saving  the  Union.  From 
that  time  until  Mr.  Douglas  died,  the  President  num- 
bered him  among  his  true  and  tried  friends.  He 
rendered  valuable  assistance  to  Mr.  Lincoln  in  learning 
the  plans  of  the  rebels  and  disclosing  their  real  animus. 
The  President  regarded  his  death  as  a  public  bereave- 
ment. 

These  two  incidents  disclose  the  simplicity,  hopeful- 
ness, patriotism,  wisdom,  magnanimity,  and  freedom 
from  a  partisan  spirit,  which  proved  so  helpful  to  the 
President  from  the  beginning  of  his  rule. 

Mr.  Lincoln  kept  sacred  the  words  of  his  inaugural 
address  —  ''You  can  have  no  conflict  without  being 
yourselves  the  aggressors."  But  when  the  first  gun 
was  fired  upon  Fort  Sumter,  in  Charleston  harbor, 
the  South  became  the  aggressors.  That  was  on  the 
twelfth  day  of  April,  1861.  On  the  previous  afternoon, 
General  Beauregard,  who  commanded  the  rebel  forces, 
ordered  the  commander  of  the  fort  —  Major  Robert 
Anderson  —  to  surrender.     The  major  replied:  — 

"  My  sense  of  honor  and  duty  compel  me  to  hold  the 
fort  for  my  government." 

"  Shall  you  treat  the  city  as  a  hostile  town } "  he  was 
asked. 


LIFE  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE,  34 1 

"  Only  if  I  am  compelled  to  do  so,"  was  his  noble 
reply. 

So  careful  had  the  President  been  of  offering  any 
provocation  to  the  enemy  to  fire  upon  our  flag,  that  he 
sent  an  unarmed  vessel,  instead  of  a  man-of-war,  with 
supplies  to  the  half-starved  garrison ;  and  the  vessel 
was  not  allowed  to  deliver  the  supplies  —  the  rebel 
troops  prevented. 

At  half-past  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
twelfth,  the  bombardment  was  opened  by  twelve 
thousand  troops,  nearly  twenty  thousand  more  being 
spectators.  It  was  more  than  two  hours  before  the 
garrison  replied,  Major  Anderson  thus  allowing  the 
insurgents  to  prove  unmistakably  their  treasonable 
designs  to  the  world.  All  through  the  day  and  the 
following  night,  the  terrible  cannonade  was  continued, 
the  gallant  band  within  the  fort  standing  by  their  guns 
until  the  barracks  took  fire,  compelling  them  to  roll 
ninety-six  barrels  of  powder  into  the  sea,  and  exhaust 
themselves  in  extinguishing  the  flames.  In  the  after- 
noon of  the  thirteenth,  the  garrison  surrendered  upon 
terms  perfectly  satisfactory  to  Major  Anderson,  and 
they  marched  out  of  the  fort  with  flags  flying  and 
drums  beating,  taking  all  their  private  property  with 
them,  and  saluting  the  stars  and  stripes  with  fifty  guns. 
The  enemy  had  hurled  two  tJioiisand  tJiree  Jmndred and 
sixty-07ie  shot  and  nine  hundred  and  eighty  shells  at  the 
fort,  when  it  passed  into  their  hands. 

The  news  of  the  fall  of  Sumter  flashed  over  the  land, 
and  awakened  the  loyal  people  to  the  dangers  of  the 
hour.  The  aggressors  had  settled  what  the  policy  of 
the  President  must  be.     War  against  the  Government 


342       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSB. 

had  begun,  and  the  appeal  to  arms  must  be  accepted. 
Hence  the  call  for  seventy-five  thousand  troops  and  the 
interview  with  Mr.  Douglas  to  which  reference  has 
been  made.  From  that  time,  President  Lincoln  was 
occupied  in  efforts  to  conquer  the  Rebellion  —  creating 
an  army  and  navy ;  raising  money  to  carry  on  warlike 
preparations  ;  securing  necessary  legislation,  and  other 
things  indispensable  to  the  national  defence.  Not  the 
least  of  all  his  labors  was  acquainting  himself  with 
military  affairs  and  the  best  way  of  saving  the  Repub- 
lic. For  he  was  President,  and  no  one  else.  While 
ever  ready  to  accept  advice,  and  even  to  seek  advice 
from  more  experienced  public  servants  in  both  civil 
and  military  life,  by  which  he  shaped  or  corrected  his 
own  opinions,  he  reserved  the  final  decision  to  himself. 
A  leading  member  of  the  cabinet  remarked,  on  one 
occasion : 

"The  President  is  his  own  war-minister.  Redirects 
personally  the  movements  of  the  armies,  and  is  fond  of 
strategy  ;  but  pays  much  less  attention  to  official  duties 
than  is  generally  supposed." 

It  was  so  with  all  measures,  whether  civil  or  military. 
While  the  head  of  each  department  was  left  untram- 
melled in  his  particular  work,  and  was  held  responsible 
for  the  proper  conduct  of  its  affairs  by  the  President,  the 
latter  never  relinquished  his  right  of  judgment.  For 
example,  in  his  annual  report  to  Congress,  Senator 
Cameron  advised  arming  the  slaves  that  they  might 
rise  successfully  against  their  masters  —  a  measure  that 
had  been  persistently  urged  upon  the  President.  As 
Mr.  Lincoln  reserved  the  right  of  supervising  affairs, 
knowing  that  the  great  public  would  hold  him  rcspon- 


LIFE  TN  THE  WHITE   HOUSE.  343 


sible,  he  carefully  read  the  report.  When  he  came  to 
that  recommendation,  surprised  and  almost  indignant, 
he  drew  his  pen  across  it,  remarking :  — 

"  This  will  never  do.  Secretary  Cameron  must  take 
no  such  responsibility.  That  is  a  question  that  belongs 
exclusively  to  me." 

When  the  public  heart  was  deeply  touched  by  the 
sufferings  of  our  soldiers,  who  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  rebels,  and  righteous  indignation  was  aroused 
over  the  cruelties  of  Libby  prison  and  Andcrsonville, 
there  were  not  wanting  public  men  who  advised  Mr. 
Lincoln  to  subject  the  rebel  prisoners  in  Northern 
prisons  to  similar  treatment  by  way  of  retaliation.  Rut 
the  proposition  outraged  his  feehngs,  and  he  said  to 
Mr.  Odell:  — 

"  I  can  never,  never  starve  men  like  that.  Whatever 
others  may  say  or  do,  I  never  can,  and  /  never  willy  be 
accessory  to  such  treatment  of  human  beings." 

Many  Republicans  were  dissatisfied  with  Mr.  Cam- 
eron as  a  member  of  the  cabinet,  and  early  in  Mr. 
Lincoln's  administration,  a  delegation  of  bankers  from 
Boston  and  New  York  waited  upon  him  to  urge  the  re- 
moval of  the  War  Secretary.  The  President  heard  them 
through,  and  was  somewhat  exercised  over  the  weak- 
ness of  their  arguments  and  the  persistency  of  their 
appeals.     He  cut  short  the  interview  by  saying  :  — 

"  You  talk  very  glibly,  nevertheless  I  am  not  con- 
vinced. Now,  gentlemen,  if  you  want  General  Cameron 
removed,  you  have  only  to  bring  me  one  proved  case  of 
dishonesty,  and  I  promise  you  his  '  head  ; '  but  I  assure 
you  I  am  not  going  to  act  on  what  seems  to  me  the 
most  unfounded  gossip." 


344       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

A  congressional  committee  was  appointed  to  examine 
a  newly  invented  gun,  and  report  upon  the  same. 
When  the  report  was  sent  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  was 
conferring  with  Hon.  Mr.  Hubbard  of  Connecticut, 
upon  the  subject,  he  glanced  at  the  voluminous  docu- 
ment of  many  manuscript  pages,  and  said,  — 

"  I  should  want  a  new  lease  of  life  to  read  this  through ! " 
Then  throwing  it  upon  the  table,  he  added,  "  Why  can't 
a  committee  of  this  kind  occasionally  exhibit  a  grain 
of  common  sense  .?  If  I  send  a  man  to  buy  a  horse  for 
me,  I  expect  him  to  tell  me  his  poiiits^  not  how  many 
Jiairs  there  are  in  his  tail." 

The  celebrated  case  of  Franklin  W.  Smith  and  his 
brother,  of  Boston,  who  were  unjustly  arrested,  im- 
prisoned and  persecuted  for  months,  by  a  military 
tribunal,  on  the  pretext  of  defrauding  ihe  government, 
is  in  point.  Mr.  Lincoln  examined  the  case  thoroughly, 
and  satisfied  himself  that  the  two  brothers  were  inno- 
cent. As  soon  as  he  reached  that  conclusion,  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  assume  the  responsibility,  and  issue  the 
following  order,  without  fear  or  favor  :  — 

"  Whereas,  Franklin  W.  Smith  had  transactions  with  the  Navy 
Department  to  the  amount  of  one  and  a  quarter  millions  of 
dollars  ;  and  whereas,  he  had  the  chance  to  steal  a  quarter  of  a 
million,  and  was  only  charged  with  stealing  twenty-two  hundred 
dollars  —  and  the  question  now  is  about  his  stealing  a  hundred  — 
I  don't  believe  he  stole  anything  at  all.  Therefore,  the  record 
and  findings  are  disapproved  —  declared  null  and  void,  and  the 
defendants  are  fully  discharged." 

These  facts  show  that  the  President  was  firm  as  he 
was  lenient,  — when  firmness  was  necessary,  and  that 
the  oft-repeated  charge,  during  his  administration,  of 


LIFE  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  345 

*'  having  no  mind  of  his  own,"  and  being  "  destitute  of 
will  power,"  was  without  foundation.  He  could  even 
resort  to  physical  force  when  the  exigencies  of  the 
case  demanded  it,  as  the  following  incident  shows  :  — 

An  officer  of  the  army  had  been  cashiered  from  the 
service.  Having  prepared  an  elaborate,  written  de- 
fence of  himself  he  appeared  before  the  President  and 
read  it. 

"  According  to  your  own  statement  of  the  case  the 
facts  do  not  warrant  executive  interference,"  said  Mr. 
Lincoln. 

The  officer  appeared  the  second  and  even  the  tJiird 
time,  going  over  substantially  the  same  ground  in  his 
plea  ;  but  with  no  better  success.  The  President  felt 
that  he  was  justly  cashiered. 

**  I  see  you  are  not  disposed  to  do  me  justice,  Mr. 
President,"  said  the  officer,  at  last,  insultingly. 

This  was  too  aggravating  for  the  even-tempered 
President ;  and,  rising  from  his  seat,  he  seized  the 
fellow  by  his  coat  collar,  and  thrust  him  out  of  the 
door,  saying  : 

"  Sir,  I  give  you  fair  warning  never  to  show  yourself 
in  this  room  again.  I  can  bear  censure,  but  not  in- 
sult ! " 

The  officer  begged  for  his  papers  which  he  had 
dropped. 

*' Begone,  sir,"  replied  the  President;  "your  papers 
will  be  sent  to  you.  I  never  wish  to  see  your  face 
again." 

The  second  year  of  his  administration  brought  per- 
sonal sorrow,  in  addition  to  the  perplexities  and  trials 
of  his  office.     "  I  thought  the  war  was  all  that  I  could 


346       PIOA'EER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

bear,  but  this  great  affliction  is  worse  than  war,"  he 
said.  His  son,  Willie,  died,  and  ''Tad"  was  in  a  dying 
condition  at  the  time.  We  record  the  circumstances 
as  related  to  us  by  Mrs.  Rebecca  R.  Pomroy,  a  hos- 
pital nurse  of  rare  experience,  whose  services  in 
the  family,  at  the  time,  were  invaluable.  Miss  Dix 
recommended  her  to  I\Ir.  Lincoln  on  the  last  day  of 
Willie's  mortal  life.  ]\Irs.  Pomroy  had  twenty  or 
thirty  sick  soldiers  under  her  charge,  and  eight  of 
them  were  not  expected  to  live  through  the  day. 
*'How  can  I  leave  them.?"  she  said.  *' It  is  impos- 
sible." ''But  you  ;;///j-/,"  answered  Miss  Dix:  "the 
Lord's  hand  is  plainly  in  it.  I  shall  send  for  you  in 
two  hours  ; "  and  she  did. 

On  arriving  at  the  Executive  Mansion,  Miss  Dix 
conducted  her  into  the  green  room,  where  the  lifeless 
remains  of  Willie  had  just  been  laid  out.  Thence,  she 
was  taken  to  Mrs.  Lincoln's  chamber,  where  she  was 
lying  quite  sick.  F'rom  Mrs.  Lincoln's  room  she  was 
led  into  an  adjoining  one  where  little  "Tad  "  lay  in  a 
dying  condition.  The  physicians  had  relinquished  all 
hope  of  his  recovery  and  he  was  not  expected  to  live 
twenty-four  hours.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  sitting  by  him 
"the  very  picture  of  despair."  "Mrs.  Pomroy,  Mr. 
President,"  said  Miss  Dix.  Mr.  Lincoln  arose,  and 
very  heartily  shook  her  hand,  saying  :  — 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  :  I  have  heard  of  you.  You 
have  come  to  a  sad  house."  His  deep  emotion  choked 
further  utterance  and  the  tears  streamed  down  his 
careworn  cheeks. 

Later  both  took  seats  beside  "Tad's"  cot  —  one  on 
each  side.     The  little  sufferer  lay  unconscious,  appa- 


LIFE  IN   THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  347 


rently  very  near  death.     Soon  a  telegram  from  Port 
Hudson  was  brought  to  the  President. 

"What  news.''"  inquired  Mrs.  Pomroy. 

"  Oh,  bad  enough ;  a  terrible  battle  is  going  on  at 
Port  Hudson  ;  we  don't  know  how  it  will  turn.  I  hope 
God  will  give  us  the  victory  there :  it  will  be  a  great 
gain  for  us." 

''We  must  pray  that  God  may  give  us  the  vic- 
tory," replied  Mrs.  Pomroy.  "There  is  nothing  like 
prayer." 

"  True,  very  true,"  answered  the  President.  "  But 
between  this  terrible  war  and  this  sorrow  I  am  having 
a  sad  time.     Why  is  it }     Oh,  why  is  it .?  " 

Later  still  the  President  looked  up  and  inquired  : 

"  What  led  you  into  •  the  hospital  service  t  You 
appear  to  be  a  feeble  woman." 

"  God  called  me  into  the  service.  I  took  care  of  a 
sick  husband  almost  twenty  years." 

"What  about  your  family,"  urged  the  President; 
"  let  me  hear  about  it." 

"My  husband  and  three  of  my  four  children  are 
now  on  the  other  side.     My  living  son  is  in  the  army." 

"  How  mysteriously  God  deals  with  us  !  "  answered 
Mr.  Lincoln.  "  I  trust  that  He  will  spare  3^our  son,  and 
in  due  time  return  you  both  to  your  home  again.  But 
was  this  your  call  to  the  hospital  service }  " 

"Yes  :  through  this  service  for  my  sick  family. 
God  fitted  me  to  take  care  of  the  soldiers,  and  he  has 
wonderfully  sustained  me  by  giving  me  strength  far 
beyond  the  expectation  of  my  friends." 

"  How  was  it,"  continued  the  President,  now  greatly 
interested  in  her  story.     "Tell  me  all  about  it." 


348       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"My  mother  died,  and  then  my  brother,  and  then 
my  Httle  daughter,  —  my  only  daughter,  theHght  of  our 
home  —  and  then  two  sons,  and,  last  of  all,  my  dear 
husband,"  Mrs.  Pomroy  answered  calmly,  as  only  a 
trusting  Christian  woman  could.  **  When  my  husband 
passed  away,  our  little  cottage  with  all  its  furniture 
had  to  be  sold  in  order  to  liquidate  debts." 

"  How  did  you  live  }  "  eagerly  inquired  Mr.  Lincoln 
at  this  point.  "Tell  me  how  you  could  bear  so 
much .? " 

"  By  the  grace  of  God,  though  I  was  far  from  being 
what  I  ought  to  have  been.  My  husband  and  all  the 
other  dear  members  of  my  family  died  in  the  triumphs 
of  faith,  so  that  I  had  great  reason  to  be  thankful, 
and — " 

"Were  you  resigned.''"  interrupted  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  I  was  not  wholly  resigned  then." 

"  Did  you  feel  rebellious  .<* "  he  inquired,  still  more 
earnestly. 

"  Yes ;  I  knew  that  '  whom  the  Lord  loveth  he 
chasteneth,'  but  I  could  not  understand  it.  I  did  not 
think  that  He  loved  me,  —  I  could  not.  Finally,  how- 
ever, I  was  brought  into  a  higher  Christian  experience, 
where  I  could  say  honestly,  '  The  Lord  gave  and  the 
Lord  has  taken  away,  blessed  be  the  name  of  the 
Lord.'  " 

"  And  how  was  that  brought  about } "  asked  Mr. 
Lincoln,  as  if  he  were  passing  through  a  similar  ex- 
perience. 

Mrs.  Pomroy  rehearsed  how  Christian  friends  inter- 
ested themselves  to  take  her  to  a  camp-meeting,  when 
her   health   was   entirely   prostrated.     They   thought 


LIFE  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  349 

that  the  change  of  scenes  and  the  smell  of  the  pine 
grove  might  aid  her  more  than  physicians.  "  And 
there,"  she  added,  "  my  soul  was  quickened,  and  I  was 
led  to  see  how  tenderly  God  had  dealt  with  me,  and 
that  his  gracious  discipline  was  suited  to  make  me  a 
more  efficient  worker  in  his  vineyard,  if  I  only  would 
be  true.  From  that  time  I  have  never  even  doubted 
that  God  loves  me." 

"  Can  others  enjoy  a  similar  experience  .^ "  the  Presi- 
dent inquired,  *'  or  is  yours  exceptional  .-*  " 

"  It  is  not  exceptional,  Mr.  President ;  it  is  just 
what  God  promises  to  all  who  are  willing  to  be  led  by 
His  will." 

"And  how  can  we  know  that  we  are  led  by  His 
will } " 

"Through  sincere,  earnest  prayer,"  replied  Mrs. 
Pomroy.  "  Prayer  has  been  everything  to  me.  '  Let 
him  that  lacketh  wisdom,  ask  of  God,  who  giveth 
liberally,  and  upbraideth  not'  " 

Much  more  was  said  in  the  same  spirit,  when  the 
President  reverted  again  to  his  own  great  sorrow,  — 
Willie  dead  and  "Tad"  not  expected  to  live  until 
sunrise,  —  and  the  burden  of  his  country's  perils 
weighing  heavily  on  his  heart. 

"  Prayer  can  do  what  armies  cannot,"  suggested 
Mrs.  Pomroy ;  "  and  never  were  so  many  prayers 
offered  for  a  country  as  are  offered  for  ours,  and 
never  so  many  offered  for  a  ruler  as  are  offered  for 
you,  Mr.  President." 

"  I  know  it,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln,  deeply  moved 
by  the  thought ;  "  and  it  is  great  encouragement  to 
me.     Our  cause  is  righteous,  and  I  do  believe  that 


350       PIOAEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

God  will  give  us  the  victory  ;  but  this  slaughtering  of 
men  is  dreadful  for  both  sides." 

Mrs.  Pomroy  had  proposed  that  he  should  retire  to 
an  adjoining  room  for  rest,  promising  that  she  would 
call  him  at  the  least  change  in  "Tad." 

*'  Pray  for  me,"  he  said,  as  he  arose  to  leave  the 
room  ;  and,  looking  down  mournfully  upon  the  little 
sufferer,  he  added,  "  and  pray  for  him,  that  he  may  be 
spared,  if  it  is  God's  will." 

"And  you  pray  yourself,"  responded  Mrs.  Pomroy. 
"  There  is  nothing  like  prayer  in  trouble  :  do  you  not 
think  so  .? " 

"  I  surely  do,"  was  the  President's  reply,  as  he 
retired  with  weeping  eyes  and  aching  heart. 

Very  soon  Mrs.  Pomroy  heard  his  own  voice  dis- 
tinctly in  prayer,  commending  himself,  his  family  and 
his  country  to  God.  "  From  that  moment,"  she  says, 
"  I  felt  that  our  cause  would  triumph.  The  President 
interceding  with  God  for  it  assured  me." 

Scarcely  had  he  fallen  asleep  when  a  messenger 
arrived  with  a  telegram  from  Port  Hudson.  It  was 
carried  directly  to  his  room,  when  he  sprung  from  the 
bed,  and,  taking  it  to  the  door  of  the  room  where 
**  Tad "  was  lying,  that  he  might  read  it  by  the  gas 
light,  his  eyes  ran  over  it. 

"  Good  news  !  good  news !  Mrs.  Pomroy ;  Port 
Hud.son  is  ours  !  "  he  exclaimed,  forgetting  all  sorrow 
for  the  moment. 

"  There  is  nothing  like  prayer,  Mr.  President,"  re- 
sponded Mrs.  Pomroy. 

"  Yes,  there  is,  praise,"  he  promptly  answered : 
"  Prayer  and  praise  must  go  together." 


LIFE  IN   THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  35  I 

"  Tad"  was  somewhat  improved  on  the  following  day 
and  he  continued  to  improve,  and  finally  recovered. 
But  Mr.  Lincoln  continued  watching  by  his  side  for 
three  days  and  nights  —  he  on  one  side  of  the  cot  and 
Mrs.  Pomeroy  on  the  other  —  leaving  only  at  brief 
intervals  to  recline  upon  the  lounge  or  bed.  His 
public  duties  were  left  to  Mr.  Seward  and  his  private 
secretary.  *'  It  seemed  as  if  he  could  not  bear  to  leave 
'Tad  '  for  a  moment,"  said  Mrs.  Pomeroy. 

On  the  morning  of  Willie's  funeral,  Mrs.  Porneroy 
expressed  her  deep  sympathy  for  him,  and  called 
his  attention  to  the  many  prayers  going  up  for  him. 
**  I  am  glad  to  hear  that,"  he  answered,  wiping  his 
tears :  "  I  want  they  should  pray  for  me.  I  need 
their  prayers,  /  will  try  to  go  to  God  with  my  sorrows." 
Subsequently  he  said,  ''  I  wish  I  had  that  childlike 
faith  you  speak  of,  and  I  trust  that  God  will  give  it  to 
me. 

On  the  second  night  of  Mrs.  Pomeroy's  care  of 
"  Tad  "  about  eleven  o'clock,  Mr.   Lincoln  remarked, 

*'  You  don't  know  how  much  good  your  conversation 
did  me  last  night,  Mrs.  Pomeroy.  I  wish  you  would 
tell  me  your  remarkable  experience  again." 

She  complied  with  his  request,  and  rehearsed  the 
whole  of  it  over  again,  Mr.  Lincoln  interrupting  her 
occasionally  by  inquiries,  as  if  he  were  intent  upon 
learning  how  to  bear  his  own  heavy  burdens.  Still 
again,  on  the  third  night,  he  requested  another  re- 
hearsal of  that  Christian  experience.  Often  after- 
wards, when  riding  to  and  from  the  Soldiers'  Home,  or 
to  the  hospital  where  Mrs.  Pomeroy's  sick  soldier  boys 
were,  he  would  revert  to  that  experience,  and  put  some 


352        PIOXEER  HO^TE    TO  WHITE   HOUSE. 

question,  or  say,  *' It  did  me  so  much  good."  Once 
a  senator  was  going  to  the  Soldiers'  Hom.e,  where 
I\Irs.  Pomcroy  and  ''Tad"  were  at  the  time;  and 
Mr.   Lincoln  said  to  him  :  — 

"  I  want  you  should  see  Mrs.  Pomeroy,  whose  con- 
versation did  me  so  much  good.  Go  and  introduce 
yourself  to  her,  and  tell  her  that  I  want  you  should 
hear  that  experience." 

At  another  time,  on  the  way  from  the  Soldiers' 
Home  to  the  Executive  Mansion,  he  said  to  Mrs.  Pome- 
roy :  ''  I  don't  know  how  I  shall  ever  repay  you  for 
what  you  have  done  for  me.  If  I  live  through  the  war, 
and  retire  from  public  life,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  remu- 
nerate you  in  some  way." 

In  common  with  many  friends,  she  warned  him  one 
day  against  rebels  in  Washington  who  might  assassi- 
nate him,  when  he  replied: 

"I  am  in  God's  hand;  let  Him  do  with  me  what 
seemeth  good  to  Him." 

He  possessed  his  mother's  old  Bible,  which  he  read 
so  much  in  his  boyhood,  and  he  was  wont  to  read 
it  daily,  usually  just  before  he  took  his  lunch.  He 
would  throw  himself  upon  the  lounge,  and  read  a  few 
moments.  One  day  Mrs.  Pomeroy  entered  his  office 
while  he  was  thus  reading  on  the  lounge. 

**  What  portion  of  the  Bible  do  you  like  best,  Mrs. 
Pomeroy  }  "  he  inquired. 

"  The  psalms  are  my  favorite,"  Mrs.  Pomeroy  an- 
swered. 

"  Yes,  the  psalms  have  something  for  every  day  in 
the  week,  and  something  for  every  poor  fellow  like 
me,"  he  responded. 


LIFE  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  353 

He  was  accustomed  to  carry  his  mother's  Bible  back 
and  forth  from  the  Soldiers'  Home,  preferring  to  read 
from  it  rather  than  use  another.  Speaking  of  that 
Bible  once,  he  added,  "  I  had  a  good  Christian  mother, 
and  her  prayers  have  followed  me  thus  far  through 
life."  Captain  Mix,  who  was  often  in  the  family,  says : 
—  "Many  times  have  I  listened  to  our  most  eloquent 
preachers,  but  never  with  the  same  feeling  of  awe  and 
reverence,  as  when  our  Christian  President,  his  arm 
around  '  Tad,'  with  his  deep  earnest  tone,  each  morn- 
ing read  a  chapter  from  the  Bible." 

He  inquired  very  minutely  into  the  method  of 
speaking  with  sick  and  dying  soldiers  —  what  she  said 
to  them  —  how  they  answered  her — how  many  of 
them  became  Christians  }  He  accompanied  her  many 
times  to  the  hospital  and  witnessed  her  effective  man- 
agement and  talked  with  the  soldiers  and  encouraged 
them.  On  learning  that  the  managers  of  the  hos- 
pital, who  were  Roman  Catholics,  had  forbidden  the 
Protestant  nurses  to  pray  with  the  soldiers,  or  read  the 
Bible  to  them,  he  promptly  removed  the  restriction, 
and  allowed  the  Christian  women  henceforth  to  hold 
prayer-meetings,  read  the  Bible  to  the  "  boys "  and 
pray  with  them,  as  much  as  they  pleased,  adding  :  — 
"  If  there  was  more  praying  and  less  swearing  it 
would  be  far  better  for  our  country,  and  we  all  need  to 
be  prayed  for,  officers  as  well  as  privates,  and  if  I  was 
near  death  I  think  I  should  like  to  hear  prayer." 

He  took  a  lady  to  the  Soldiers'  Home  in  his  carriage 
one  morning,  with  Mrs.  Pomeroy,  and  the  horses  be- 
came well-nigh  unmanageable  just  where  the  severe 
shower  of  the  previous  night  had  flooded  the  road. 


354       PTOXEE/^  HO.^fE    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  ladies  were  very  much  frightened,  and  Mr.  Lin- 
coln directed  the  driver  to  hold  one  of  the  horses  and 
the  footman  the  other,  while  he  opened  the  door  and 
jumped  out.  Stripping  up  his  pants  to  his  knees,  he 
hastily  brought  three  stones  large  enough  to  stand  up- 
on, and  placing  them  so  that  the  ladies  could  step 
upon  them,  from  one  to  the  other,  he  speedily  helped 
them  to  the  side-walk,  remarking  in  a  vein  of  humor, 
"  All  through  life  be  sure  you  put  your  feet  in  the 
right  place,  and  then  stajtd  firm''  Then,  looking 
down  upon  his  very  muddy  boots,  he  said  :  —  "I  have 
always  heard  of  Washington  mud,  and  now  I  shall 
take  home  some  as  a  sample." 

We  have  given  somewhat  in  detail  these  incidents 
from  Mrs.  Pomeroy's  experience,  because  they  j^resent 
so  clear  a  view  of  the  man.  His  simplicity,  tender- 
ness, affection,  frankness,  freedom  from  pride  and 
ostentation,  trust  in  Providence,  and  strong  religious 
convictions,  —  all  appear  unmistakably  in  these  inci- 
dents that  cluster  about  his  stay  in  the  White  House 
and  Soldiers'  Home. 

Willie  died  on  Thursday,  and,  on  the  recurrence  of 
that  day  for  several  weeks,  Mr.  Lincoln  shut  himself 
up  in  his  room  and  indulged  in  excessive  grief.  Near 
friends  spoke  to  Dr.  Vinton  of  New  York,  who  was 
visiting  at  Washington,  of  this  practice,  and  urged  him 
to  see  the  President.  Accordingly  he  called  upon  him 
and  told  him  frankly  that  it  was  sinful  to  indulge  in 
such  grief. 

"  Your  son  is  alive  in  Paradise,"  said  Dr.  Vinton. 

"  Alive  !  Alive  !  "  exclaimed  the  President,  starting 
to  his  feet ;  "  surely  you  mock  me." 


LIFE  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  '     355 

*'  No,  my  dear  sir,  believe  me ;  Christ  himself  de- 
clares it." 

Mr.  Lincoln  looked  at  him  a  moment,  then  throwing 
his  arms  about  the  clergyman's  neck,  and  laying  his 
head  upon  his  shoulders,  sobbed  aloud,  repeating : 
*' Alive.?     Alive.?" 

Dr.  Vinton  comforted  him  by  the  words  of  Christ, 
and  for  an  hour,  labored  and  prayed  with  him,  closing 
the  interview  by  telling  the  President :  *'  I  have  a 
sermon  upon  this  subject  which  I  think  might  interest 
you." 

**  Do  send  it  to  me  as  early  as  possible,"  Mr.  Lin- 
coln replied.  Dr.  Vinton  forwarded  the  sermon,  and 
the  sorrowing  President  read  it  over  and  over,  and 
then  had  it  copied  that  he  might  enjoy  the  reading  of 
it  yet  more.  A  member  of  the  family  says  :  —  "  From 
that  time  Mr.  Lincoln's  views  in  relation  to  spiritual 
things  were  changed." 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  devoted  father,  and  his  great 
love  for  his  children  appeared  in  the  White  House  in 
its  tender  simplicity,  as  it  did  elsewhere.  No  matter 
what  dignitaries  were  about  him,  paternal  affection 
asserted  itself  without  let  or  hindrance.  The  Hon. 
W.  D.  Kelley,  of  Philadelphia,  says  :  — 

"  His  intercourse  with  his  family  was  as  beautiful  as 
that  with  his  friends.  I  think  that  father  never  loved 
his  children  more  fondly  than  he.  The  President 
never  seemed  grander  in  my  sight  than  when,  stealing 
upon  him  in  the  evening,  I  would  find  him  with  a  book 
open  before  -him,  as  he  is  represented  in  the  popular 
photograph,  with  little  Tad  beside  him.  There  were 
of  course  a  great  many  curious  books  sent  to  him,  and 


356       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

it  seemed  one  of  the  special  delights  of  his  life  to  open 
those  books  at  such  an  hour  that  his  boy  could  stand 
beside  him,  and  they  could  talk  as  he  turned  over  the 
pages,  the  father  thus  giving  to  the  son  a  portion  of 
that  care  and  attention  of  which  he  was  ordinarily  de- 
prived by  the  duties  of  office  pressing  upon  him." 

Mr.  Carpenter  writes  : —  "  No  matter  who  was  with 
the  President,  or  how  intently  he  was  absorbed,  little  Tad 
was  always  welcome.  At  the  time  of  which  I  write,  he 
was  eleven  years  old,  and  of  course  rapidly  passing 
from  childhood  into  youth.  Suffering  much  from  an 
infirmity  of  speech  which  developed  in  his  infancy,  he 
seemed  on  this  account  especially  dear  to  his  father. 
*  One  touch  of  nature  makes  the  whole  world  kin/ 
and  it  was  an  impressive  and  affecting  sight  to  me  to 
see  the  burdened  President  lost  for  the  time  being  in 
the  affectionate  parent,  as  he  would  take  the  little 
fellow  in  his  arms,  upon  the  withdrawal  of  visitors,  and 
caress  him  with  all  the  fondness  of  a  mother  for  the 
babe  upon  her  bosom  !  " 

Several  weeks  after  the  death  of  Willie,  Mr.  Lincoln, 
with  several  members  of  his  Cabinet,  spent  a  few  days 
at  P^ortrcss  Monroe,  watching  military  operations  upon 
the  Peninsula.  He  improved  his  spare  time  there  in 
reading  Shakespeare.  One  day  he  was  reading 
"  Hamlet,"  when  he  called  to  his  private  secretary  :  — 

*'  Come  here,  colonel :  I  want  to  read  you  a  pas- 
sage." The  colonel  responded,  when  the  President 
read  the  discussion  on  ambition  between  Hamlet  and 
his  courtiers,  and  the  soliloquy,  in  which  conscience 
debates  about  a  future  state.  Then  he  read  passages 
from  "Macbeth,"  and  finally  opened  to  the  third  act  of 


LIFE  IN   THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  357 

*'  King  John,"  where  Constance  bewails  her  lost  boy. 
Closing  the  book,  and  recalling  the  words,  — 

"  And,  father  cardinal,  I  have  heard  you  say 
That  we  shall  see  and  know  our  friends  in  heaven  : 
If  that  be  true  I  shall  see  my  boy  again," — 

Mr.  Lincoln  said  :  "  Colonel,  did  you  ever  dream  of  a 
lost  friend,  and  feel  that  you  were  holding  sweet 
communion  with  that  friend,  and  yet  have  a  sad  con- 
sciousness that  it  was  not  reality  }  —  just  so  I  dream 
of  my  boy  Willie."  Overcome  with  emotion,  he 
dropped  his  head  on  the  table,  and  sobbed  aloud. 

Beautiful  example  of  paternal  love  in  the  highest 
place  of  the  land  !  The  millions  of  fathers  over  whom 
he  ruled  found  in  him  a  worthy  father  to  imitate ! 

President  Lincoln's  humor  often  exposed  him  to 
criticism.  His  frequent  stories  often  elicited  censure. 
Persons  who  did  not  understand  him  charged  him 
with  being  light  and  trifling,  when  sadness  and  sorrow 
were  more  becoming.  There  was  no  ground  for  this 
censure.  Mr.  Lincoln  told  stories  in  the  White  House 
just  as  he  did  anywhere  else.  The  simplicity  of  his 
character  led  him  to  be,  when  President,  just  what  he 
was  as  a  friend  and  neighbor.  Then,  he  told  stories 
for  two  reasons.  First,  he  told  them  to  point  and  en- 
force the  subject  in  hand.  Mr.  Herndon,  his  law-part- 
ner for  many  years,  remarks  upon  this  peculiarity  of 
the  man :  — 

**  It  is  said  that  Newton  saw  an  apple  fall  to  the 
ground  from  a  tree,  and  beheld  the  law  of  the  universe 
in  that  fall ;  Shakespeare  saw  human  nature  in  the 
laugh  of  a  man ;  Professor  Owen  saw  the  animal  in  its 


35S       nOXEER  HOME    TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

claw ;  and  Spencer  saw  the  evolution  of  the  universe 
in  the  growth  of  a  seed.  Nature  was  suggestive  to  all 
these  men.  Mr.  Lincoln  no  less  saw  philosophy  in  a 
story,  and  a  schoolmaster  in  a  joke.  .  .  .  The  world, 
fact,  man,  principle,  —  all  had  their  powers  of  sugges- 
tion to  his  susceptible  soul.  They  continually  put  him 
in  mind  of  something.  He  was  often  perplexed  to 
give  expression  to  his  ideas  :  first,  because  he  was  not 
master  of  the  English  language  ;  and,  secondly,  because 
there  were  no  words  in  it  containing  the  coloring, 
shape,  exactness,  power,  and  gravity,  of  his  ideas.  He 
was  frequently  at  a  loss  for  a  word,  and  hence  was 
compelled  to  resort  to  stories,  maxims,  and  jokes  to 
embody  his  idea,  that  it  might  be  comprehended. 

"  But  more  and  better  than  that,  in  the  White  House 
he  found  recreation  and  relief  in  story-telling.  He 
told  them  that  he  read  Shakespeare  and  the  '  Nasby 
Papers,'  to  help  him  endure  the  labors  of  his  official 
position.  He  indulged  in  wit  and  humor  when  he  felt 
more  like  crying.  Indeed,  he  indulged  them,  often,  in 
order  to  keep  from  crying.  As  he  said  to  a  member 
of  Congress,  when  he  was  greatly  distressed  for  the 
country.  *  Were  it  not  for  this  occasional  vent  I 
should  die.'  He  kept  a  copy  of  'Nasby  Papers'  in 
his  desk,  as  an  antidote  for  depression.  He  found  re- 
lief in  their  perusal.  He  once  said  to  a  friend,  *  I  think 
of  writing  to  'Petroleum'  to  come  down  here,  and  I 
shall  tell  him,  if  he  will  impart  his  talent  to  me,  I  will 
swap  places  with  him.'  " 

Speaking  of  this  peculiarity  of  the  President,  a  Con- 
gressman said,  "//  is  his  life  preserver ^  He  was  se- 
verely criticized  for  it  by  the  journals.     Many  stories 


LIFE  IN  THE  WHITE   HOUSE.  359 

and  jokes  were  ascribed  to  him,  which  he  never  told. 
A  volume  of  them  was  issued  in  New  York,  under  the 
title,  "  Old  Abe's  Jokes."  A  friend  submitted  a  copy 
of  the  work  to  him,  with  the  request  that  he  should  re- 
port how  many  of  the  stories  were  genuine.  His  report 
was  "  six  "out  of  the  whole  number.  Still,  the  attacks 
upon  him  only  elicited  more  wit.  After  examining  a 
gun  so  constructed  as  to  prevent  the  escape  of  gas,  he 
remarked,  ''  I  really  believe  this  does  what  it  is  repre- 
sented to  do.  But  do  any  of  you  know  of  any  machine 
or  invention,  for  preventing  the  escape  of  gas  from 
newspaper  establishments  t "  At  a  time  when  the  pub- 
lic journals  teemed  with  assaults  upon  him,  for  alleged 
acts  and  sayings  that  never  occurred,  Mrs.  Secretary 
Welles  called  attention  to  certain  reports.  "The  pa- 
pers are  not  always  reliable ^  responded  one  present. 
"That  is  to  say,  Mrs.  Welles,"  interjected  Mr.  Lincoln, 
"  they  //>,  and  then  they  re-lie .'  "  He  "  could  bear  cen- 
sure," as  he  said,  "but  not  insult."  A  friend  pro- 
posed that  he  should  contradict  a  particular  false  report 
in  a  leading  journal ;  but  he  replied,  "  Oh,  no  ;  if  I 
were  to  try  to  read,  much  less  answer,  all  the  attacks 
made  on  me,  this  shop  might  as  well  be  closed  for  any 
other  business.  I  do  the  very  best  I  know  how, — 
the  very  best  I  can  ;  and  I  mean  to  keep  doing  so 
until  the  end.  If  the  end  brings  me  out  all  right,  what 
is  said  against  me  won't  amount  to  anything.  If  the 
end  brings  me  out  wrong,  ten  angels  swearing  I  was 
right  would  make  no  difference." 

His  grand  magnanimity  never  appeared  to  greater 
advantage  than  it  did  when,  after  all  his  trials  with 
General  McClellan,  before  he  removed  him,  and  after 


36o       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  had  facetiously  remarked  that  he  "would  like  to 
borrow  his  army  if  he  had  no  use  for  it,"  and  given  as 
a  reason  why  the  General  did  not  reply  to  the  "  Chi- 
cago letter,"  "he  is  entrenchijig'''  —  he  remarked  to 
another,  "  so  pleasant  and  scholarly  a  gentleman  can 
never  fail  to  secure  personal  friends.     In  fact, 

'  Even  his  failings  lean  to  virtue's  side.'  " 

Also,  when  Stonewall  Jackson  fell  in  battle,  and  the 
Washington  Chronicle  spoke  well  of  him  as  a  brave 
soldier  but  mistaken  man,  Mr.  Lincoln  wrote  to  the 
editor :  — 

"  I  honor  you  for  your  generosity  to  one  who,  though 
contending  against  us  in  a  guilty  cause,  was  neverthe- 
less a  gallant  man.  Let  us  forget  his  sins  over  his 
fresh-made  grave." 

His  humor,  kindness,  and  magnanimity  appeared  to 
go  hand  in  hand,  presenting  one  of  the  most  unique, 
genial,  and  remarkable  characters  ever  found  in  public 
life. 

In  this  connection  his  art  of  putting  things  deserves 
attention.  Mr.  Lincoln  understood  it  to  perfection ; 
and  these  remarkable  sallies  often  exposed  him  to  se- 
vere criticisms.  For  example,  the  report  of  the  cap- 
ture of  a  Union  brigadier  and  squad  of  cavalry,  near 
Fairfax  Court  House,  by  rebel  guerillas,  was  brought 
to  him.     The  brigadier  had  proved  to  be  incompetent. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  lose  the  horses,"  responded  the 
President,  on  receipt  of  the  news. 

"What  do  you  mean.?"  inquired  his  informant, 
somewhat  startled  by  his  seemingly  heartless  words. 

"  Why,"  rejoined  the  President,  "  I  can  make  a  bet- 


LIFE  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  361 

ter  brigadier  any  day ;  but  those  horses  cost  the  gov- 
ernment one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  apiece." 

It  was  customary  for  the  Secretary  of  State  to  write 
the  President's  speeches  to  foreign  ministers,  and,  per- 
haps, home  delegations.  A  messenger  entered  the 
President's  room  one  day,  saying,  "  The  Secretary  has 
sent  the  speech  you  are  to  make  to-day  to  the  Swiss 
minister."  Mr.  Lincoln  received  it,  smiling,  and  then, 
as  if  to  ridicule  the  practice,  and  intimate  that  he 
could  make  his  own  speeches,  he  remarked,  loud 
enough  for  all  present  to  hear  :  — 

"  Oh,  this  is  a  speech  Mr.  Seward  has  written  for 
me,  is  it }  I  guess  I  will  try  it  before  these  gentle- 
men and  see  how  it  goes."  J  le  proceeded  to  read  it 
aloud,  in  a  waggish  manner,  ana  remarked,  as  he  closed 
it,  "  There,  I  like  that.     It  has  the  merit  of  originality''' 

A  delegation  from  the  West  waited  upon  him  to 
protest  against  some  of  his  measures.  After  having 
listened  to  their  complaints,  he  answered  :  — 

"  Gentlemen,  suppose  all  the  property  you  were 
worth  was  in  gold,  and  you  had  put  it  into  the  hands  of 
Blondin  to  carry  across  the  Niagara  river  on  a  rope, 
would  you  shake  the  cable,  or  keep  shouting  out  to 
him,  'Blondin,  stand  up  straighter — Blondin,  stoop  a 
little  more — go  a  little  faster  —  lean  a  little  more  to 
the  north  —  lean  a  little  more  to  the  south.'  No,  you 
would  hold  your  breath  as  well  as  your  tongue,  and  keep 
your  hands  off  until  he  was  safe  over.  The  govern- 
ment are  carrying  an  immense  weight.  Untold 
treasures  are  in  their  hands.  They  are  doing  the 
very  best  they  can.  Don't  badger  them.  Keep 
silence,  and  we  will  get  you  safe  across." 


362        PIOiXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Another  delegation  came  to  open  his  eyes  to  the 
"breakers  ahead."  ]\Ir.  Lincoln  thought  they  magni- 
fied the  perils  ;  and  so  he  told  a  story.  "  You  remind 
me  of  the  schoolboy,"  he  said,  "  who  found  difficulty 
in  pronouncing  the  Scripture  names,  *  Shadrach, 
Meshach,  and  Abednego.'  The  teacher  had  drilled 
him  repeatedly  in  the  pronunciation  of  these  names. 
One  day  the  teacher  purposely  took  the  same  lesson  in 
Bible  reading,  and  managed  to  have  this  boy  read  the 
passages,  containing  these  names,  again.  As  the  dull 
pupil  came  to  them,  he  stopped,  looked  up,  and  said : 
*  Teacher,  there's  them  three  fellers  ag'in.'  " 

A  clergyman  remarked  to  him  :  "  The  Lord  is  on 
our  side." 

''  I  am  not  at  all  concerned  about  that,"  replied  Mr. 
Lincoln  ;  "  for  I  know  that  the  Lord  is  always  on  the 
side  of  the  rigJu.  But  it  is  my  constant  anxiety  and 
prayer  that  /  and  tJiis  nation  should  be  on  the  Lord's 
side^ 

A  whole  volume  of  similar  incidents  might  be  fur- 
nished, not  one  of  them  showing  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
thoughtless  and  trifling  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  that 
it  was  his  unique,  peculiar  and  pat  way  of  putting  the 
case  clearly  before  those  who  approached  him.  In  his 
felicitous  handling  of  a  subject,  a  story  or  witticism 
was  often  more  convincing  than  argument.  For  this 
reason  he  employed  them.  The  genius  and  real  ability 
of  the  man  often  cropped  out  through  this  mode  of 
speaking,  so  peculiarly  his  own.  One  of  our  best 
writers  put  the  literary  character  of  President  Lincoln 
and  his  wonderful  tact  so  tersely  before  the  people  that 
we  quote  it  here.     It  was  penned  before  the  death  of 


LIFE   IN  THE   WHITE  HOUSE.  363 

Mr.  Lincoln ;  and  the  paragraph  is  not  only  a  faithful  por- 
trait of  the  man,  but  the  style  of  the  composition  is  more 
like  his  than  any  piece  of  composition  we  have  seen  :  — 

"  His  questions  are  answers,  and  his  answers  questions ;  his 
guesses  prophecies,  his  fulfilment  ever  beyond  his  promise ; 
honest  yet  shrewd  ;  simple,  yet  reticent ;  heavy,  yet  energetic  ; 
never  despairing,  never  sanguine  ;  careless  in  forms,  conscientious 
in  essentials  ;  never  sacrificing  a  good  servant  once  trusted, 
never  deserting  a  good  principle  once  adopted  ;  not  afraid  of  new 
ideas,  nor  despising  old  ones  ;  improving  opportunities  to  confess 
mistakes  ;  ready  to  learn  ;  getting  at  facts  ;  doing  nothing  when 
he  knows  not  what  to  do  ;  hesitating  at  nothing,  when  he  sees 
the  right ;  lacking  the  recognized  qualities  of  a  party  leader,  and 
leading  his  party  as  no  other  man  can  ;  sustaining  his  political 
enemies  in  Missouri  in  their  defeat,  sustaining  his  pohtical  friends 
in  Maryland  in  their  victory ;  conservative  in  his  sympathies, 
and  radical  in  his  acts  ;  Socratic  in  his  style,  and  Baconian  in  his 
method  ;  his  religion  consisting  in  truthfulness,  temperance;  ask- 
ing good  people  to  pray  for  him,  and  publicly  acknowledging  in 
events  the  hand  of  God,  —  yet  he  stands  before  you  as  the  type 
of '  Brother  Jonathan,'  a  not  perfect  man,  and  yet  more  precious 
than  fine  gold." 

Mr.  Lincoln,  like  Washington,  was  continually  show- 
ing, without  design  on  his  part,  his  sincere  trust  in 
Providence,  as  well  as  his  great  respect  for  the  insti- 
tutions of  Christianity.  After  a  serious  defeat  of  the 
Union  forces  near  Washington,  he  remarked  to  a  friend, 
*'  I  have  done  the  best  I  could.  I  have  asked  God  to 
guide  me,  and  now  I  must  leave  the  event  with  him." 
At  another  time,  two  hundred  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Commission  called  upon  him,  and  George  H.  Stu- 
art spoke,  in  their  behalf,  of  the  debt  of  gratitude  the 
public  owed  him.     Mr.  Lincoln  replied  :  — 

"  My  friends  :  You  owe  me  no  gratitude  for  what  I 


364       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

have  done;  and  I  — "  (and  here  he  hesitated  as  if  he 
feared  being  misunderstood  in  what  he  was  about  to 
say)  —  "and  I,  I  may  say,  owe  you  no  gratitude  for 
what  you  have  done ;  just  as,  in  a  sense,  we  owe  no 
gratitude  to  the  men  who  have  fought  our  battles  for 
us.  I  trust  that  this  has  been  for  us  all  a  work  of 
duty.  All  the  gratitude  is  due  to  the  great  Giver  of 
all  good." 

At  another  time  he  replied  to  Dr.  J.  T.  Duryea  and 
other  members  of  the  Commission  as  follows  :  — 

"If  it  were  not  for  my  belief  in  an  over-ruling  Prov- 
idence, it  would  be  difficult  for  me,  in  the  midst  of 
such  complications,  to  keep  my  reason  on  its  seat. 
But  I  am  confident  that  the  Almighty  has  his  plans, 
and  will  work  them  out ;  and,  whether  we  see  it  or 
not,  they  will  be  the  wisest  and  best  for  us.  I  have 
always  taken  counsel  of  Him,  and  referred  to  Him  my 
plans,  and  have  never  adopted  a  course  of  proceeding 
without  being  assured,  as  far  as  I  could  be,  of  his  ap- 
probation." 

At  another  time  he  said  to  friends,  "  I  have  been 
driven  many  times  to  my  knees  by  the  overwhelming 
conviction  that  I  had  nowhere  else  to  go."  And 
again,  "  I  should  be  the  most  presumptuous  blockhead 
upon  this  footstool,  if  I  for  one  day  thought  that  I 
could  discharge  the  duties  which  have  come  upon  me 
since  I  came  into  this  place,  without  the  aid  and 
enlightenment  of  One  who  is  wiser  and  stronger  than 
all  others." 

In  the  early  part  of  the  war  he  issued  an  order  for 
the  better  observance  of  the  Sabbath  in  the  army.  In 
the   order   he   said :   "  The  importance   for  man  and 


LIFE  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  365 


beast  of  the  prescribed  weekly  rest,  the  sacred  rights 
of  Christian  soldiers  and  sailors,  a  becoming  deference 
to  the  best  sentiment  of  a  Christian  people,  and  a  due 
regard  for  the  Divine  Will,  demand  that  Sunday  labor 
in  the  army  and  navy  be  reduced  to  the  measure  of 
strict  necessity." 

The  prevalence  of  profane  swearing  among  the 
soldiers  was  rebuked  in  the  same  order  ;  and  he  said  : 
"  The  discipline  and  character  of  the  national  forces 
should  not  suffer,  nor  the  cause  they  defend  be 
imperilled  by  the  profanation  of  the  day  or  name 
OF  THE  Most  High."  And  he  enforced  the  order 
by  the  example  of  Washington,  saying  :  —  "At  this 
time  of  public  distress,  adopting  the  words  of  Washing- 
ton in  1776,  '  men  may  find  enough  to  do  in  the  service 
of  God  and  their  country  without  abandoning  them- 
selves to  vice  and  immorahty.'  The  first  general 
order  issued  by  the  Father  of  his  Country  after  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  indicates  the  spirit  in 
which  our  institutions  were  founded  and  should  ever 
be  defended :  '  The  General  hopes  and  trusts  that 
every  officer  and  man  will  endeavor  to  live  and  act  as 
becomes  a  Christian  soldier  defending  the  dearest 
rights  and  liberties  of  his  country.'  " 

Intemperance  in  the  army  he  deeply  deplored. 
Both  by  word  and  pen  he  sought  to  expose  the  perils 
of  drinking  habits  among  officers  and  privates,  es- 
pecially the  former.  His  own  example  enforced  his 
counsels  with  great  power.  For  he  continued  to  be  the 
same  uncompromising  teetotaller  at  Washington  that  he 
had  been  elsewhere.  The  White  House  was  run  upon 
teetotal  principles,  as  strictly  so  as  his  humble  home 


366       PIOA'EER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

in  Springfield.  In  Washington  circles,  where  the  wine 
cup  went  round,  he  was  always  passed  by  out  of  re- 
spect to  his  temperance  principles.  At  one  time  a 
delegation  of  the  Sons  of  Temperance  waited  on  him. 
In  his  reply,  he  said  :  **  When  I  was  a  young  man, 
long  ago,  before  the  Sons  of  Temperance,  as  an  organ- 
ization, had  an  existence,  I,  in  my  humble  way,  made 
temperance  speeches ;  and  I  think  I  can  say  that 
my  example  has  never  belied  the  position  I  then  took." 
And  when  he  read  a  petition  from  the  women  of 
Massachusetts,  praying  for  the  suppression  of  intem- 
perance in  the  army,  he  exclaimed :  "  Dear,  good 
souls !  if  they  only  knew  how  much  I  have  tried  to 
remedy  this  great  evil,  they  would  be  rejoiced." 

Notwithstanding  his  great  weight  of  labors  for  the 
country,  President  Lincoln  did  not  wholly  neglect 
literary  studies.  He  found  necessary  recreation  in  his 
books,  and  both  poetry  and  prose  often  brought  relief 
to  him  in  seasons  of  depression  and  exhaustion.  A 
California  lady,  who,  with  several  other  women,  visited 
the  cemetery  at  the  Soldiers'  Home  in  company  with 
Mr.  Lincoln,  writes  :  — 

"While  we  stood  in  the  soft  evening  air,  watching 
the  faint  trembling  of  the  long  tendrils  of  waving  wil- 
low, and  feeling  the  dewy  coolness  that  was  flung  out 
by  the  old  oaks  above  us,  Mr.  Lincoln  joined  us,  and 
stood  silent,  too,  taking  in  the  scene. 

" '  How  sleep  the  brave  who  sink  to  rest 
By  all  their  country's  wishes  blest,'  — 

he  said  softly. 

"  There  was  something  so  touching  in  the  picture 


LIFE  IN   THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  3^7 


opened  before  us,  —  the  nameless  graves,  the  solemn 
quiet,  the  tender  twilight  air,  but  more  particularly 
our  own  feminine  disposition  to  be  easily  melted,  I 
suppose,  —  that  it  made  us  cry  as  if  we  stood  beside 
the  tomb  of  our  own  dead,  and  gave  point  to  the  lines 
he  quoted  :  — 

*  "  '  And  women  o'er  the  graves  shall  weep, 

Where  nameless  heroes  calmly  sleep.'  " 

One  day  he  surprised  some  of  his  most  intimate 
friends  by  his  very  just,  discriminating  remarks  upon 
some  of  the  plays  of  Shakespeare. 

"  There  is  one  passage  in  the  play  of  '  Hamlet,'  "  he 
said,  "  which  is  very  apt  to  be  slurred  over  by  the  actor, 
or  omitted  altogether,  which  seems  to  me  the  choicest 
of  the  play.  It  is  the  soliloquy  of  the  king,  after  the 
murder.  It  always  struck  me  as  one  of  the  finest 
touches  in  the  world." 

Then,  with  still  more  surprise,  his  friends  witnessed 
his  truly  dramatic  exhibition  of  the  scene,  as  he 
recited  the  whole  passage  of  nearly  forty  lines,  begin- 


nmg:  — 


"  Oh,  my  offence  is  rank,  it  smells  to  heaven ; 
It  hath  the  primal  eldest  curse  upon  it, 
A  brother's  murder  !  " 

He  recited  it  from  memory,  throwing  himself  into 
the  scene  with  remarkable  abandon  and  tact.  Then 
he  went  on  : — 

*'The  opening  of  the  play  of  'King  Richard  III.' 
seems  to  me  often  entirely  misapprehended.  It  is 
quite  common  for  an  actor  to  come  upon  the  stage, 
and,  in  a  sophomoric  style,  to  begin  with  a  flourish  :  — 


368       PIOiVEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

*  Now  is  the  winter  of  our  discontent 
!Macle  glorious  summer  by  this  sun  of  York, 
And  all  the  clouds  that  lowered  upon  our  house, 
In  the  deep  bosom  of  the  ocean  buried  ! ' 

"Now,"  said  he,  ''this  is  all  wrong.  Richard,  you 
remember,  had  been,  and  was  then,  plotting  the  de- 
struction of  his  brothers,  to  make  room  for  himself. 
Outwardly  the  most  loyal  to  the  newly  crowned  king, 
secretly  he  could  scarcely  contain  his  impatience  at 
the  obstacles  still  in  the  way  of  his  own  elevation. 
He  appears  upon  the  stage,  just  after  the  crowning  of 
Edward,  burning  with  repressed  hate  and  jealousy. 
The  prologue  is  the  utterance  of  the  most  intense 
bitterness  and  satire." 

Then,  assuming  the  character,  perhaps  without  de- 
sign, he  repeated  Richard's  soliloquy  with  so  much 
effect,  that  Mr.  Carpenter,  who  was  present,  says  :  — 
"  It  seemed  like  a  new  creation  to  me.  Though  fa- 
miliar with  the  passage  from  boyhood,  I  can  truly  say 
that  never  till  that  moment  had  I  fully  appreciated  its 
spirit." 

A  delegation  of  the  "Christian  Commission  "  waited 
upon  him,  and,  in  reply  to  their  address,  he  said  :  — 

*'  I  desire,  also,  to  add  to  what  I  have  said,  that 
there  is  one  association  whose  object  and  motives  I 
have  never  heard  in  any  degree  impugned  or  ques- 
tioned [a  sly  rebuke  at  the  unjust  criticisms  and  fault- 
finding that  prevailed]  ;  and  that  is  the  *  Christian 
Commission.'  And,  as  Shakespeare  says,"  he  added, 
"that  is  a  record,  gentlemen,  of  which  you  may  justly 
be  proud."  Then,  as  if  to  correct  himself,  he  re- 
marked, "  I  believe,  however,  it  is  'Jack  Falstaff '  who 


UFE  IN   THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  369 

talks  about  'villainy,'  though,  of  course,  Shakespeare 
is  responsible." 

The  particular  circumstances  of  the  country,  or 
some  phase  of  his  personal  experience,  appear  to  have 
been  the  occasion  generally  of  these  and  kindred  drafts 
upon  his  literary  resources. 

N.  P.  Willis,  the  poet,  was  riding  with  him  one  day, 
when  some  remark  or  scene  drew  out  the  following 
from  the  poet's  "  Parrhasius"  : 

"  Oh,  if  there  were  no  better  hopes  than  these  — 
Were  there  no  palm  beyond  a  feverish  fame,  — 
If  the  proud  wealth  flung  back  upon  the  heart 
Must  canker  in  its  coffers,  —  if  the  links 
Falsehood  has  broken  will  unite  no  more  ; 
If  the  deep-yearning  love,  that  has  not  found 
Its  Hke  in  the  cold  world,  must  waste  in  tears; 
If  truth,  and  fervor,  and  devotedness. 
Finding  no  worthy  altar,  must  return 
And  die  of  their  own  fulness ;  if  beyond 
The  grave  there  is  no  heaven  in  whose  wide  air 
The  spirit  may  find  room,  and  in  the  love 
Of  whose  bright  habitants  the  lavish  heart 
May  spend  itself,  —  what  thrice-mock'' d fools  are  we  f"* 

Mr.  Willis  was  both  surprised  and  delighted  with 
this  evidence  of  familiarity  with  his  writings,  and  the 
handsome  compliment  so  gracefully  tendered. 

We  do  not  design  to  speak  at  length  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's mental  ability ;  that  has  appeared,  incidentally, 
from  the  beginning  of  our  story.  Enough  has  been 
quoted  from  his  lip  and  pen  to  prove  that  Senator 
Trumbull's  brief  tribute  was  not  exaggerated^  "  He  is 
a  giant ;  and  without  the  prefix  *  Little '  to  it,  a  gia?if 
ill  intellect  as  well  as  in  stature."    In  the  light  of  what 


370       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

has  been  said,  the  words  of  that  noted  EngHshman, 
Goldwin  Smith,  are  pertinent :  **  He  met  the  most 
terrible  of  all  emergencies  with  ability  and  self-posses- 
sion, as  well,  probably,  as  it  would  have  been  met  by 
any  EiD'Opcaii  sovereign  or  statesman  whom  yotc  could 
name^ 

However,  this  chapter  should  not  close  without  his 
eloquent  and  beautiful  address  at  the  dedication  of  the 
national  cemetery  at  Gettysburg,  November  i8,  1863. 
Its  originality  and  classic  diction  must  commend  it  to 
the  favorable  consideration  of  the  ripest  scholars :  — 

"  Four  score  and  seven  years  ago,  our  fathers  brought  forth 
upon  this  continent  a  new  nation,  conceived  in  Liberty,  and  dedi- 
cated to  the  proposition  that  all  men  are  created  equal.  Now 
we  are  engaged  in  a  great  civil  war,  testing  whether  that  nation, 
or  any  nation  so  conceived  and  so  dedicated,  can  long  endure. 
We  are  met  on  a  great  battle-field  of  that  war.  We  are  met  to 
dedicate  a  portion  of  it  as  the  final  resting-place  of  those  who 
here  gave  their  lives  that  that  nation  might  hve.  It  is  altogether 
fitting  and  proper  that  we  should  do  this. 

"  But  in  a  larger  sense,  we  cannot  dedicate,  we  cannot  conse- 
crate, we  cannot  hallow  this  ground.  The  brave  men,  living  and 
dead,  who  struggled  here,  have  consecrated  it  far  above  our 
power  to  add  or  detract.  The  world  will  httle  note,  nor  long 
remember  what  we  say  here  ;  but  it  can  never  forget  what  they 
did  here.  It  is  for  us,  the  living,  rather  to  be  dedicated  here  to 
the  unfinished  work  that  they  have  thus  far  so  nobly  carried  on. 
It  is  rather  for  us  here  to  be  dedicated  to  the  great  task  remain- 
ing before  us  —  that  from  these  honored  dead  we  take  increased 
devotion-  to  the  cause  for  which  they  here  gave  the  last  full 
measure  of  devotion,  —  that  we  here  highly  resolve  that  the  dead 
shall  not  have  died  in  vain,  that  the  nation  shall,  under  God, 
have  a  new  birth  of  freedom,  and  that  the  government  of  the 
people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from 
the  earth." 


LIFE  IN   THE  WHITE   HOUSE.  37 1 

We  have  intentionally  omitted  President  Lincoln's 
care  of  the  soldiers  and  colored  race  during  his  life  in 
the  White  House,  that  we  might  devote  a  chapter  to 
each  subject,  both  on  account  of  the  intrinsic  impor- 
tance of  each,  and  the  clear  and  interesting  view  of 
his  character  which  they  afford. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

HIS   GREAT   INTEREST   IN   SOLDIERS. 

ROM  the  time  of  President  Lincoln's  first 
call  for  troops,  his  life  in  the  White  House 
brought  him  into  intimate  relations  with 
Union  soldiers.  At  once  he  bestowed  upon 
them  his  most  tender  regard,  which  they  reciprocated 
with  kindred  heartiness.  He  was  called  by  the  endear- 
ing name  of  ^^ FatJier  Abraham"  in  the  army;  and 
they  were  called  by  him  in  the  White  House,  *'the 
boys."  Our  presentation  of  his  public  career  would 
be  very  deficient  without  special  attention  to  his 
fatherly  service  in  their  behalf.  The  controlling 
thought  of  his  mind  on  this  subject  was  expressed 
in  the  following  words : 

"  This  extraordinary  war  in  which  v^re  are  engaged 
falls  heavily  upon  all  classes  of  people,  but  the  most 
heavily  upon  the  soldier.  P'or  it  has  been  said,  'all  that 
a  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life ' ;  and,  while  all 
contribute  of  their  substance,  the  soldier  puts  his  life 
at  stake,  and  often  yields  it  up  in  his  country's  cause. 
The  highest  merit,  then,  is  due  to  the  soldier  !  " 
He  spoke  somewhat  from  experience.  His  brief 
service  in  the  "  l^lack  Hawk  War,"  where  the  provisions 


HTS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        373 

for  personal  comfort  were  small,  made  him  familiar 
with  the  hardships  of  soldier-life.  He  knew  from  per- 
sonal experience  how  many  and  great  privations  are 
inseparable  from  army  service ;  and  no  doubt  this 
knowledge  intensified  the  natural  love  in  his  heart  for 
the  loyal  and  patriotic  "  boys  in  blue." 

Some  public  men  claimed  that  the  President  ought 
not  to  be  interrupted  and  annoyed  by  so  many  applica- 
tions from  soldiers  and  their  friends,  —  that  some  one 
of  the  military  commissions,  or  a  special  one,  should 
relieve  him  of  this  burden.  But  he  would  consent  to 
no  such  arrangement.  The  "  boys  "  belonged  to  his 
family,  and  he  would  enjoy  a  fatherly  watch  over  them. 
There  was  reason  for  the  suggestion,  since  his  daily 
duties  as  President  occupied  every  moment  of  his 
time,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  worried  and  wearied  him 
beyond  measure.  The  reader  can  scarcely  understand 
how  he  could  devote  any  time  at  all  to  the  soldiers, 
when  he  reads  the  following  description  of  his  daily 
work,  as  given  by  parties  who  saw  him  every  day. 

"  Mr.  Lincoln  is  an  early  riser,  and  he  thus  is  able 
to  devote  two  or  three  hours  each  morning  to  his 
voluminous  private  correspondence,  besides  glancing 
at  a  city  paper.  At  nine,  he  breakfasts  ;  then  walks 
over  to  the  War  Office  to  read  such  war  telegrams  as 
they  give  him,  and  to  have  a  chat  with  General  Hal- 
leck  on  the  military  situation,  in  which  he  takes  a 
great  interest.  Returning  to  the  White  House,  he 
goes  through  with  his  morning's  mail,  in  company 
with  a  private  secretary,  who  makes  a  minute  of  the 
reply  which  he  is  to  make ;  and  others  the  President 
retains,   that   he   may  answer  them    himself.      Every 


374       PIOiXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

letter  receives  attention  ;  and  all  which  are  entitled  to 
a  reply,  receive  one,  no  matter  how  they  are  worded, 
or  how  inelegant  the  chirography  may  be.  Tuesdays 
and  Fridays  are  cabinet  days ;  but,  on  the  other  days, 
visitors  at  the  White  House  are  requested  to  wait  in 
the  ante-chamber,  and  send  in  their  cards.  Some- 
times, before  the  President  has  finished  reading  his 
mail,  Louis  will  have  a  handful  of  pasteboard ;  and, 
from  the  cards  laid  before  him,  Mr.  Lincoln  has  visitors 
ushered  in,  giving  precedence  to  acquaintances.  Three 
or  four  hours  do  they  pour  in,  in  rapid  succession, 
nine  out  of  ten  asking  offices  ;  and  patiently  does  the 
President  listen  to  their  application.  .  .  .  The 
simple  and  natural  manner  in  which  he  delivers  his 
thoughts  makes  him  appear  to  those  visiting  him  like 
an  earnest,  affectionate  friend.  At  four  o'clock,  the 
President  declines  seeing  any  more  company,  and 
sometimes  accompanies  his  wife  in  her  carriage  to  take 
a  ride.  .  .  .  He  dines  at  six  ;  and  it  is  rare  that 
some  personal  friends  do  not  grace  the  round  dining- 
table,  where  he  throws  off  the  cares  of  office,  and 
reminds  those  who  have  been  in  Kentucky  of  the  old- 
school  gentlemen,  who  used  to  dispense  generous 
hospitality  there." 

Another  writer  adds  :  "  At  night,  from  ten  to  twelve, 
he  usually  makes  a  tour  all  round,  —  now  at  Secretary 
Seward's,  and  then  at  General  Halleck's  ;  and,  if  Gen- 
eral Burnside  was  nearer,  he  would  see  him  each  night 
before  he  went  to  bed.  Those  who  know  his  habits, 
and  want  to  see  him  late  at  night,  follow  him  round 
from  place  to  place ;  and  the  last  search  generally 
brings  him  up  at  General  Halleck's,  as  he  can  get  the 


HIS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        375 

latest  army  intelligence  there.  Whoever  else  is  asleep 
or  indolent,  the  President  is  wide  awake  and  around." 
How  a  public  servant,  under  such  a  constant  press- 
ure of  care,  could  find  time  to  listen  to  every  comj^laint 
of  soldiers  and  their  friends,  many  of  the  cases  requir- 
ing much  time  to  investigate,  and  also  visit  hospitals 
and  go  to  the  front  to  ''  see  how  the  boys  are  getting 
along,"  the  reader  can  scarcely  understand.  But  he 
did,  as  the  very  interesting  incidents  we  shall  relate 
abundantly  show.  There  is  evidence  that  his  heart 
was  not  so  thoroughly  absorbed  in  any  other  depart- 
ment of  his  work  as  it  w^as  in  this.  He  fully  real- 
ized that  the  life  of  the  nation  hung  upon  the 
life  of  the  soldier — that  the  appeal  from  the  bal- 
lot to  the  bullet  was  a  dire  necessity — hence,  he 
thought,  ''the  highest  merit  is  due  to  the  soldier;" 
and  he  never  belied  that  sentiment.  To  the  day  of 
his  death,  he  treated  soldiers  as  if  they  were  really  of 
more  consequence,  in  the  fearful  crisis,  than  governors 
and  senators.  On  one  occasion,  when  there  was  so 
great  a  crowd  at  one  of  his  receptions  that  hand-shak- 
ing was  discontinued,  the  President  stood  and  bowed 
his  acknowledgments  to  senators  and  representatives ; 
but  finally,  observing  a  wounded  soldier  enter  with  his 
poorly-clad  mother,  he  hastily  left  his  position,  crowded 
his  way  to  the  couple,  and  taking  them  both  by  the 
hand,  he  gave  them  a  most  cordial  welcome,  congratu- 
lating the  woman  upon  having  so  patriotic  a  son,  and 
expressing  his  sympathy  for  the  son  in  his  disabled 
condition.  It  was  a  very  affecting  demonstration,  and 
it  brought  tears  to  the  eyes  of  many  spectators.  The 
President  simply  acted  what  he  had  said  again  and 


376       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

again,  "the  highest  merit  is  due  to  the  soldier:"  All 
who  witnessed  the  hearty  greeting  were  satisfied  that 
Mr.  Lincoln  meant  what  he  said. 

In  this  and  other  incidents  to  be  related,  the  true 
Republican  simplicity  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  character  ap- 
pears. Official  distinction  obtruded  no  barrier  between 
his  own  honest  heart  and  that  of  the  brave  and  true 
soldier. 

One  day  he  was  going  through  a  passageway  to  his 
private  room  for  a  cup  of  tea,  when  he  heard  the  cry 
of  a  child.  He  returned  immediately  to  his  office,  and 
rang  the  bell ;  Daniel  responded  promptly. 

'*  Daniel,  is  there  a  woman  with  a  baby  in  the  ante- 
room 1 " 

"There  is,  Mr.  President;  and  she  has  been  there 
three  days,"  Daniel  replied.  "There  has  been  no 
chance  for  her  to  get  in." 

"  Go  at  once,  and  send  her  to  me,"  he  said,  adding 
some  words  of  regret  that  she  had  been  overlooked. 

The  woman,  with  the  baby  in  her  arms,  was  soon  in  his 
presence,  pleading  for  her  husband,  who  was  sentenced 
to  be  shot  as  a  deserter  from  the  army.  There  were 
several  extenuating  circumstances,  and  the  President 
granted  her  request,  writing  his  decision  upon  a  slip 
of  paper. 

"There,  my  dear  woman,"  he  said,  "you  take  that, 
and  it  will  bring  back  your  husband,"  at  the  same  time 
directing  her  where  to  go  with  the  document.  Con- 
vulsive sobs  of  joy  were  all  the  response  the  glad 
woman  could  make,  as  she  retired.  Daniel  went  up  to 
her,  and  pulled  her  shawl,  saying,  "  Madam,  it  was  the 
baby  that  did  it." 


HTS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        Z17 

Hon.  W.  D.  Kelley  said  to  the  President,  *'  There  is 
a  lad  on  the  gunboat  Ottawa,  who  has  shown  the 
mettle  of  a  man  in  two  serious  engagements.  Can  you 
not  send  him  to  the  naval  school.^  You  have  the 
authority  to  send  three  boys  there  annually,  who  have 
served  one  year  in  the  navy." 

"Perhaps  so,"  responded  the  President;  "let  me 
hear  more  about  it."  Mr.  Kelley  rehearsed,  in  detail, 
the  heroic  deeds  of  the  boy. 

"  If  the  appointments  for  this  year  have  not  been 
made,  let  this  boy  be  appointed,"  he  wrote  at  once  to 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  passing  the  message  to  Mr. 
Kelley. 

The  appointment  was  made ;  but  it  was  found  the 
lad  was  not  quite  fourteen  years  of  age.  "  I  think  the 
President  can  make  it  right,"  said  Mr.  Kelley  to  him ; 
and  he  took  the  lad  to  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  Mr.  President,"  said  Kelley,  "  my  young  friend, 
Willie  Bladen,  finds  a  difficulty  about  his  appointment. 
You  have  directed  him  to  appear  at  the  school  in  July, 
and  he  will  not  be  fourteen  until  September."  Willie 
bowed  in  a  graceful,  soldierly  way  to  the  President. 

"Bless  me!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Lincoln,  laying  down 
his  spectacles;  "is  that  the  boy  who  did  so  gallantly 
in  those  two  great  battles  ?  Why,  I  feel  I  should  bow 
to  him,  and  not  he  to  me."  Then,  taking  the  order 
previously  written,  he  changed  it  from  July  to  Septem- 
ber ;  and  putting  his  hand  lovingly  on  Willie's  head, 
he  said : 

"  Now,  my  noble  boy,  go  home,  and  have  a  good 
time  during  the  two  months,  for  they  are  about  the 
last  holiday  you  will  get." 


378       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Willie  bowed  himself  out,  remarking  to  an  acquaint- 
ance, ''  I  should  like  to  have  a  game  of  romps  with  that 
man." 

A  small,  pale,  delicate-looking  boy  waited  in  the 
crowd  to  see  the  President.  Observing  him,  Mr.  Lin- 
coln said,  "  Come  here,  my  boy,  and  tell  me  what  you 
want." 

Advancing  timidly,  the  little  fellow  placed  his  hand 
on  the  arm  of  the  President's  chair,  and  said:  — 

"  Mr.  President,  I  have  been  a  drummer  in  a  regi- 
ment for  two  years,  and  my  colonel  got  angry  with  me, 
and  turned  me  off.  I  was  taken  sick  and  have  been  a 
long  time  in  the  hospital.  This  is  the  first  time  I  have 
been  out,  and  I  came  to  see  if  you  could  not  do  some- 
thing for  me." 

His  plea  touched  Mr.  Lincoln's  heart,  and  he  replied 
by  asking  the  boy,  — 

''Where  do  you  live,  my  son  V 

"  I  have  no  home,"  the  lad  answered  sadly. 

"Where  is  your  father.?" 

"  He  died  in  the  army  some  time  ago." 

"Where  is  your  mother.-*" 

"  My  mother  is  dead  also.  I  have  no  father,  no 
mother,  no  brothers,  no  sisters,  and,"  bursting  into 
tears,  "no  friends  —  nobody  cares  for  me." 

Mr.  Lincoln's  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  his  lips 
quivered  for  a  moment,  when  he  continued,  — 

"Can't  you  sell  newspapers.-*" 

"  No,  1  am  too  weak ;  and  the  surgeon  told  me  I 
must  leave  the  hospital,  and  I  have  no  money,  and  no- 
where to  go  to." 

The  President  could  say  no  more  ;  and  he  drew  forth 


HIS  GREA T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        3/9 

a  card,  and  wrote  on  it,  "Take  care  of  this  poor  boy," 
directing  it  to  the  proper  ofhcial ;  then  handed  it  to 
the  lad,  whose  face  lit  up  with  a  smile  because  he  had 
found  a  true  friend  in  the  President. 

A  citizen  of  Washington  tells  the  following  :  — 

''  I  was  waiting  my  turn  to  speak  to  the  President 
one  day,  when  my  attention  was  attracted  by  the  sad 
patient  face  of  a  woman  advanced  in  life,  who  in  a 
faded  hood  and  shawl  was  among  the  applicants  for  an 
interview. 

"  Presently  Mr.  Lincoln  turned  to  her,  saying  in  his 
accustomed  manner,  *  Well,  my  good  woman,  what  can 
I  do  for  you  this  morning.?'  *  Mr.  President,'  said 
she,   '  my  husband  and  three  sons  all  went  into  the 

army.     My  husband  was  killed  in  the  fight  at .     I 

get  along  very  badly  since  then,  living  all  alone,  and  I 
thought  I  would  come  and  ask  you  to  release  to  me  my 
oldest  son.'  Mr.  Lincoln  looked  into  her  face  a  mo- 
ment, and  in  his  kindest  accents  responded,  '  Certainly ! 
certainly  !  If  you  have  given  us  all,  and  your  prop  has 
been  taken  away,  you  are  justly  entitled  to  one  of  your 
boys  ! '  He  immediately  made  out  an  order  discharg- 
ing the  young  man,  which  the  woman  took,  and  thank- 
ing him  gratefully,  went  away. 

"  I    had    forgotten    the    circumstance,"    continued 

M ,  "till  last  week,  when  happening  to  be  here 

again,  who  should  come  in  but  the  same  woman.  It 
appeared  that  she  had  gone  herself  to  the  front,  with 
the  President's  order,  and  found  the  son  she  was  in 
search  of  had  been  mortally  wounded  in  a  recent  en- 
gagement, and  taken  to  a  hospital.  She  found  the 
hospital,  but  the  boy  was  dead,  or  died  while  she  was 


380       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

there.  The  surgeon  in  charge  made  a  memorandum 
of  the  facts  upon  the  back  of  the  President's  order, 
and  almost  broken-hearted,  the  poor  woman  had  found 
her  way  again  into  Mr.  Lincoln's  presence.  He  was 
much  affected  by  her  appearance  and  story,  and  said  : 
*  I  know  what  you  wish  me  to  do  now,  and  I  shall  do 
it  without  your  asking ;  I  shall  release  to  you  your 
second  son.'  Upon  this,  he  took  up  his  pen  and  com- 
menced writing  the  order.  While  he  was  writing,  the 
poor  woman  stood  by  his  side,  the  tears  running  down 
her  face,  and  passed  her  hand  softly  over  his  head, 
stroking  his  rough  hair,  as  I  have  seen  a  fond  mother 
caress  a  son.  By  the  time  he  had  finished  writing,  his 
own  heart  and  eyes  were  full.  He  handed  her  the 
paper :  '  Now,'  said  he,  ^ yoic  have  one  and  /  one  of  the 
other  two  left :  that  is  no  more  than  right.'  She  took 
the  paper,  and  reverently  placing  her  hand  again  upon 
his  head,  the  tears  still  upon  her  cheeks,  said :  *  The 
Lord  bless  you,  Mr.  Lincoln.  May  you  live  a  thousand 
years,  and  may  you  always  be  the  head  of  this  great 
nation!'  " 

Hon.  Thaddeus  Stevens  accompanied  an  elderly  lady 
to  the  President,  to  ask  for  the  pardon  of  her  son,  who 
had  been  sentenced  to  death  by  a  court-martial.  Mr. 
Stevens  knew  that  there  were  circumstances  on  which 
pardon  could  be  reasonably  based.  After  the  Presi- 
dent had  listened  to  the  woman's  story,  he  turned  to 
Mr.  Stevens. 

"  Mr.  Stevens,  do  you  think  this  is  a  case  that  will 
warrant  my  interference  .'*  " 

**  Yes ;  I  should  have  no  hesitation  in  granting  a 
pardon,"  Mr.  Stevens  replied. 


HIS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        l?>  I 


"Then  I  will  pardon  him,"  and  he  proceeded  to  exe- 
cute the  papers.  The  mother's  heart  was  too  full  for 
utterance.  Her  deep  emotion,  as  she  turned  away, 
told  how  deep  her  gratitude  was.  On  the  way  down 
stairs,  when  she  could  sufficiently  control  her  feelings 
to  speak,  she  broke  out  suddenly  :  — 

"  I  knew  it  was  a  copperhead  lie  ! " 

"What  do   you   refer   to,   madam?"  inquired    Mr. 

Stevens. 

"  Why,  they  told  me  he  was  an  ugly-looking  man, 
and  it's  a  lie.     He  is  the  handsomest  man  I  ever  saw 

in  my  life." 

Speaker  Colfax  interceded  for  the  pardon  of  a  son 
of  one  of  his  constituents,  who  had  been  sentenced  to 
be  shot.  It  was  in  the  evening,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
wearied  by  incessant  calls,  and  wanted  rest.  He 
granted  the  request  of  Mr.  Colfax,  and  said  :  —  ^ 

"  Some  of  our  generals  complain  that  I  impair 
discipline  and  subordination  in  the  army  by  my  par- 
dons and  respites,  but  it  makes  me  rested,  after  a  hard 
day's  work,  if  I  can  find  some  good  excuse  for  saving 
a  man's  life,  and  I  go  to  bed  happy  as  I  think  how 
joyous  the  signing  of  my  name  will  make  him  and  his 
family  and  his  friends." 

Senator  Harris,  of  New  York,  interceded  for  the 
reprieve  of  a  young  soldier,  who  was  imprisoned  at 
Elmira,  N.  Y.,  awaiting  the  sentence  of  death.  His 
friends  had  been  to  the  Secretary  of  War  to  intercede 
for  the  condemned  young  man  ;  but  the  Secretary  only 

replied: —  ^^ 

"  Can  do  nothing  for  him  ;  it  is  an  aggravated  case. 
True,  it  did  seem  like  an  aggravated  case,  for  the 


382       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


fellow  had  deserted  three  tmies,  and  once  attempted 
to  poison  his  guards  ;  but  he  had  been  of  unsound 
mind.  Evidence  of  his  insanity  was  laid  before  Sena- 
tor Harris,  who  became  fully  convinced  that  Executive 
clemency  ought  to  save  the  soldier  from  death.  It 
was  twelve  o'clock  on  Wednesday  night  when  the 
senator  went  to  the  President,  and  the  soldier  was  to 
be  executed  on  Thursday.  The  President  was  in  bed. 
A  messen2:er  was  sent  to  his  room  to  announce  that 
Senator  Harris  desired  to  see  him  upon  important 
business. 

"  Let  him  come  in,"  Mr.  Lincoln  said. 

Senator  Harris  was  soon  at  his  bedside.  *'  The  boy 
is  insane,"  he  said;  ''there  can  be  no  question  about 
it,  —  an  irresponsible  lad,  and  his  execution  would  be 
murder." 

''  And  you  are  satisfied  that  these  are  the  facts  in 
the  case  } "  replied  Mr.  Lincoln,  inquiringly. 

*'  Perfectly  so.  Besides,  it  is  not  a  pardon  that  we 
ask,  but  a  reprieve  until  a  medical  examination  can  be 
made." 

"Well,  that  is  reasonable  and  just,"  responded  Mr. 
Lincoln.     "  The  boy  shall  be  reprieved." 

He  arose  immediately,  and  ordered  a  telegram  to  be 
sent  to  Elmira  at  once,  delaying  the  execution  of  the 
condemned.  Early  in  the  morning  he  sent  another. 
And  before  the  hour  of  execution  arrived,  he  sent  four 
telegrams  by  different  lines,  fearing  that,  by  some  mis- 
fortune, the  reprieve  might  not  reach  him. 

At  another  time.  Judge  Kellogg,  of  New  York,  in- 
terceded for  the  son  of  one  of  his  neighbors,  sentenced 
by  court-martial  to  be  shot  the  next  day.     It  was  near 


mS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        383 


midnight  when  he  reached  the  White  House,  and  the 
President  had  retired.  First,  however,  he  went  to  the 
Secretary  of  War,  thinking  he  might  accompUsh  his 
purpose  without  disturbing  the  President. 

"  Too  many  cases  of  this  kind  have  been  let  off 
now,"  repUed  the  secretary;  "it  is  quite  time  to  make 
an  example  of  somebody." 

"  But  there  are  reasons  enough  for  pardoning  him," 
urged  the  judge ;  and  he  proceeded  to  enumerate 
them. 

*' Nevertheless,  I  shall  not  interfere,"  still  insisted 
the  unmoved  secretary. 

"Well,  Mr.  Secretary,"  exclaimed  the  judge,  under 
much  excitement,  "  the  boy  is  not  going  to  be  shot,  you 
may  be  sure  of  that." 

He  hurried  away  to  the  White  House,  where  the 
sentinel  intercepted  him,  saying  :  — 

"  My  orders  are  to  admit  no  one  to-night." 

"  But  I  must  go  in  :  it  is  a  case  of  life  and  death," 
urged  the  judge,  persistently. 

"  That  fact  cannot  modify  my  orders,"  answered  the 
sentinel. 

"  I  mrtst  go  in  ;  and  I  will  take  the  responsibility," 
continued  the  judge.  And  he  entered,  going  directly 
to  the  President's  sleeping-room  without  the  ceremony 
of  sending  his  card.  Opening  the  door,  he  said, 
hurriedly  and  excitedly  :  — 

"Mr.  President,  a  dispatch  just  received  informs 
me  that  the  son  of  one  of  my  neighbors  is  to  be  shot 
to-morrow ;  and  I  want  you  to  save  his  life." 

"  What  is  he  to  be  shot  for  } "  inquired  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  I  don't  know,  and  I  can't  help  what  he  may  have 


384       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

done.  Why,  he  is  an  old  neighbor  of  mine,  and  I 
can't  allow  him  to  be  shot,"  Judge  Kellogg  continued, 
under  increasing  heat. 

"  Well,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  I  don't  believe  that 
shooting  him  will  do  him  any  good.     Bring  me  a  pen." 

Without  getting  out  of  bed,  he  wrote  a  pardon  for  the 
judge  to  forward  at  once  to  the  boy  so  near  his  doom. 

Benjamin  Owen,  a  young  soldier  of  Vermont,  was 
sentenced  to  be  shot  for  sleeping  at  his  post.  The 
family  were  plunged  into  agony  by  the  dreadful  tidings. 
For  some  reason,  a  reprieve  was  granted  him  for  sev- 
eral days,  when  he  wrote  the  following  letter  to  his 
father : 

"  Dear  Father,  —  When  this  reaches  you  I  shall  be  in 
eternity.  At  first  it  seemed  awful  to  me,  but  I  have  thought 
about  it  so  much  now  that  it  has  no  terror.     They  say  they  will 

not  bind  me,  but  that  I   may  meet  my  death  like  a  man 

You  know  I  promised  Jemmy  Carr's  mother  I  would  look  after  her 
boy,  and  when  he  fell  sick  I  did  all  I  could  for  him.  He  was  not 
strong  when  he  was  ordered  back  into  the  ranks,  and  the  day 
before  that  night,  I  carried  all  his  luggage,  besides  my  own,  on 
our  march.  Toward  night  we  went  in  on  double  quick,  and 
though  the  luggage  began  to  feel  very  heavy,  everybody  else  was 
tired,  too ;  and  as  for  Jemmy,  if  I  had  not  lent  him  an  arm  now 
and  then  he  would  have  dropped  by  the  way.  I  was  all  tired  out 
when  I  came  into  camp,  and  then,  it  was  Jemmy's  turn  to  be 
sentry,  and  I  would  take  his  place  ;  but  I  was  too  tired,  father,  I 
could  not  have  kept  awake  if  I  had  had  a  gun  at  my  head.  But 
I  did  not  know  it  until  —  well,  until  it  was  too  late.  .  .  .  Our 
good  colonel  would  save  me  if  he  could.  He  says,  forgive  him, 
father,  he  only  did  his  duty.  And  don't  lay  my  death  against 
Jemmy.  The  poor  l)oy  is  broken-hearted,  and  does  nothing  but 
beg  and  entreat  them  to  let  him  die  in  my  stead.  I  can't  bear  to 
think  of  mother  and  sister.  Comfort  tliem,  father  !  God  help 
me,  it  is  very  hard  to  bear  !     Good-by,  father  !     God  seems  near 


HIS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        385 


and  dear  to  me  ;  not  at  all  as  if  he  wished  me  to  perish  forever, 
but  as  if  he  felt  sorry  for  his  poor,  sinful,  broken-hearted  child, 
and  would  take  me  to  be  with  him  and  my  Saviour,  in  a  better, 
better  life  !     God  bless  you  all ! 

His  sister,  who  had  read  much  about  the  President's 
tender  heart,  seized  the  letter,  and  quickly  as  steam 
could  carry  her  was  in  Washington,  in  the  presence  of 
Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  Well,  my  child,  what  do  you  want  so  bright  and 
early  this  morning } "  the  President  asked. 

"  My  brother's  life,"  she  said,  with  much  emotion. 

*'Who  is  he.?" 

She  told  him,  and  for  what  he  was  sentenced  to  be 
shot. 

"  Oh,  yes,  that  fatal  sleep,"  responded  Mr.  Lincoln  ; 
"thousands  of  lives  might  have  been  lost  by  that 
sleep." 

'*  So  my  father  said ;  but  he  was  so  tired  carrying 
Jemmy's  baggage  ;"  and  here  she  put  his  letter  into 
the  President's  hand,  saying  that  "would  tell  him  all 
about  it." 

Mr.  Lincoln  read  Benjamin's  letter;  when,  with  tear- 
ful eye  and  melted  heart,  he  quickly  wrote  an  order  for 
his  pardon,  and,  lest  there  might  be  some  delay  in  the 
conveyance  of  the  message,  he  ordered  his  own  car- 
riage and  delivered  it  personally  to  the  proper  authori- 
ties. Before  leaving  his  office,  however,  he  said  to  the 
sister: 

'*  Go  home,  my  child,  and  tell  that  father  of  yours, 
who  could  approve  his  country's  sentence,  even  when 
it  took  the  life  of  a  child  like  that,  that  Abraham  Lin- 
coln thinks  the  life  far  too  precious  to  be  lost." 


386        PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

He  ordered  a  furlough  for  the  soldier-boy,  also,  that 
he  might  return  with  his  sister  to  Vermont ;  and  when, 
subsequently,  brother  and  sister  came  to  the  White 
House,  the  President,  in  his  private  room,  fastened  a 
badge  of  office  upon  his  shoulder,  saying,  "the  shoulder 
that  could  carry  a  sick  comrade's  baggage,  and  die  for 
it  so  uncomplainingly,  must  wear  that  strap." 

The  father  of  a  soldier  applied  to  Congressman 
Kellogg,  of  whom  we  have  spoken,  for  the  pardon  of 
his  son,  under  sentence  of  death.  Mr.  Kellogg  felt  that 
it  was  a  case  where  executive  clemency  ought  to  be 
exercised  ;  and  he  said  to  the  distressed  father,  "  you 
wait  here  until  I  go  and  see  what  can  be  done." 
He  went  directly  to  President  Lincoln,  and  laid  the 
case  before  him.  When  he  reached  that  part  of 
the  narrative  which  related  to  a  fearful  charge 
across  a  bridge,  wherein  the  soldier  displayed  re- 
markable heroism,  Mr.  Lincoln  started  up,  and  asked 
earnestly :  — 

"Do  you  say  that  the  young  man  was  wounded.''" 
as  if  he  were  overjoyed  to  find  a  decent  reason  for 
saving  another  life. 

"  Yes,  badly  wounded,"  added  Mr.  Kellogg. 

"Then  he  has  shed  his  blood  for  his  country.?"  sug- 
gested Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  Yes,  and  shed  it  nobly,"  responded  Mr.  Kellogg. 

"  Kellogg  ! "  continued  the  President,  brightening  up, 
"  is  there  not  something  in  the  Bible  about  the  shed- 
ding of  blood  for  the  remission  of  sins.-*" 

"  I  think  you  are  right,"  replied  Mr.  Kellogg.     ' 

"Well,  it  is  a  good  point,  and  there  is  no  going  be- 
hind it,"  rejoined  the  President.     And,  taking  up  his 


HIS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        387 

pen,  he  wrote  a  pardon,  which  Mr.  Kellogg  bore  to  the 
now  glad  father. 

With  all  his  leniency  towards  erring  soldiers  and  his 
passion  for  granting  pardons,  he  had  no  patience  with 
rebel  sympathizers  in  places  of  trust.  When  Alexander 
Long,  of  Ohio,  proposed,  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, to  recognize  the  Southern  Confederacy,  General 
Garfield  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  denounced  the  "  treason  " 
in  words  of  bitter  detestation,  comparing  the  author  of 
the  proposition  to  Benedict  Arnold,  who  betrayed  his 
country  in  the  hour  of  its  peril,  and  entreating  loyal 
representatives  not  to  believe  that  another  such 
**  growth  on  the  soil  of  Ohio  deformed  the  face  of 
nature,  and  darkened  the  light  of  God's  day."  When 
news  of  this  speech  reached  the  President,  he  ex- 
pressed his  approbation  in  the  most  unqualified  man- 
ner, and  subsequently  thanked  General  Garfield  for 
"flaying  Long  alive." 

At  one  time  the  President  called  upon  the  head  sur- 
geon at  City  Point,  and  told  him  that  he  wanted  to 
visit  all  the  hospitals  there,  and  shake  hands  with 
every  soldier,  as  incidentally  referred  to  on  a  former 
page. 

"  Do  you  know  what  a  job  you  have  undertaken,  Mr. 
President } "  responded  the  surgeon. 

"How  many  have  you  in  the  hospitals.-^"  Mr.  Lin- 
coln asked. 

"  From  five  to  six  thousand,"  answered  the  surgfeon  : 
"  and  you  will  be  exhausted  long  before  you  get  through 
all  the  wards." 

Mr.  Lincoln  smiled  as  he  continued,  "  I  think  I  am 
quite  equal  to  the  task.     At  any  rate,  I  can  try  and  go 


388       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

as  far  as  I  can.  I  shall  never  see  the  boys  again, 
probably,  and  I  want  they  should  know  how  I  ap- 
preciate what  they  have  done  for  the  country." 

The  tour  of  the  hospitals  began,  the  surgeon  leading 
the  way,  and  the  President  stopping  at  every  cot,  ex- 
tending his  hand,  with  words  of  greeting  to  one,  sym- 
pathy to  another,  and  a  kind  inquiry  of  some — all 
glad  to  take  his  hand.  In  his  rounds,  he  approached 
a  cot  on  which  lay  a  rebel  soldier.  Before  the  Presi- 
dent had  time  to  extend  his  hand  the  repentant  soldier 
extended  his,  bursting  into  tears,  and  saying,  "  Mr. 
Lincoln,  I  have  long  wanted  to  see  you,  and  ask  your 
forgiveness  for  ever  raising  my  hand  against  the  old 
flag." 

Mr.  Lincoln  wept,  as  he  shook  the  penitent's  hand 
kindly,  assuring  him  of  prompt  forgiveness.  And  this 
recalls  his  remark  to  a  public  man  who  was  complain- 
ing of  his  Amnesty  Proclamation.  "  When  a  man  is 
sincerely  penitent  for  his  misdeeds,  and  gives  satisfac- 
tory evidence  of  the  same,  he  can  safely  be  pardoned, 
and  there  is  no  exception  to  the  7'ule.''  The  last  clause, 
which  we  have  put  in  italics,  expresses  the  true  Gospel 
idea  of  forgiveness  better  than  most  sermons  of  twenty 
pages. 

After  the  tour  of  the  hospitals  had  been  made,  and 
the  President  had  seated  himself  in  the  surgeon's  office, 
word  came  that,  "  one  of  the  wards  was  overlooked, 
and  the  boys  want  to  see  the  President." 

**You  are  thoroughly  tired,  Mr.  President,  and  so 
am  I,"  said  the  surgeon,  "  and  you  had  better  not  go ;  it 
will  make  no  difference." 

"But  I  must  go,"  Mr.  Lincoln  replied;    "I  would 


HTS  ORE  A  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        389 

not  knowingly  omit  one,  and  the  boys  will  be  so  dis- 
appointed if  they  do  not  see  me." 

He  went,  and  completed  the  hand-shaking  for  that 
day,  which  consumed  several  hours,  and  returned  per- 
fectly satisfied,  because  he  had  carried  joy  and  comfort 
to  the  "brave  boys "  whom  he  loved  as  a  father. 

His  letters  and  public  documents  abound  in  expres- 
sions which  show  that  the  soldiers,  officers  and  privates, 
were  borne  upon  his  mind  constantly.  He  was  invited 
to  attend  a  large  meeting  in  New  York  in  honor  of 
General  Grant.  He  closed  his  reply  with  these 
words :  —  "^ 

"  He  and  his  brave  soldiers  are  now  in  the  midst  of 
their  great  trial ;  and  I  trust  that  at  your  meeting 
you  will  so  shape  your  good  words  that  they  may  turn 
to  men  and  guns  moving  to  his  and  their  support." 

He  closed  his  letter,  accepting  his  second  nomina- 
tion, with  the  following  :  — 

"  I  am  especially  gratified  that  the  soldiers  and  sea- 
men were  not  forgotten  by  the  convention,  as  they 
forever  must  and  will  be  remembered  by  the  grateful 
country,  for  whose  salvation  they  devote  their  lives." 

If  the  people  would  but  remember  the  soldier,  they 
might  withhold  some  of  their  praise  for  himself  ! 

News  of  the  bloody  slaughter  of  the  "boys  "  always 
filled  the  heart  of  the  President  with  grief. 

"Terrible!  terrible!" 

How  often  this  expressive  word  dropped  from  his 
lips  !  Often  he  could  neither  eat  nor  sleep,  his  soul 
was  so  wrought  upon  by  bad  news  from  the  front. 
When  the  tidings  of  defeat  with  very  heavy  loss,  in 
the  Wilderness  battles,  reached  him,  he  exclaimed  : — 


390       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  My  God  !  my  God  !  Twenty  thousand  poor  souls 
sent  to  their  account  in  one  day !  I  cannot  bear  it ! 
I  cannot  bear  it !  " 

One  morning,  Secretary  Seward  found  him  walking 
his  room  with  a  most  distressed  appearance  in  his  face, 
when  he  inquired  if  the  President  was  not  well. 

"  This  dreadful  news  from  the  boys  has  banished 
sleep  and  appetite,"  he  answered.  "Not  a  moment's 
sleep  last  night,  nor  a  crumb  of  food  this  morning!" 

It  was  the  grief  of  a  father  over  his  fallen  sons,  — 
sincere  and  tender  as  that  of  a  mother. 

At  another  time,  the  news  of  a  heavy  loss  in  a  hard- 
fought  battle  caused  him  to  bury  his  face  in  his  hands, 
saying :  — 

''  I  shall  never  more  be  glad  !  " 

Dr.  Holland  says  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  the  soldiers:  — 

**  With  the  soldiers  who  were  fighting  the  battles  of 
the  country,  he  had  the  deepest  sympathy.  Whenever 
he  was  congratulated  upon  a  success,  he  never  failed 
to  allude  gratefully  to  the  noble  men  who  had  won  it. 
The  trials  of  these  men,  —  their  sacrifices  of  comfort 
and  health,  of  limb  and  life,  —  touched  him  with  a 
sympathy  that  really  sapped  the  foundations  of  his 
constitution.  They  were  constantly  in  his  thoughts  ; 
and  not  a  battle  was  fought  to  whose  sacrifices  his  own 
vitality  did  not  contribute.  He  admired  the  fighting 
man,  and  looked  upon  him  as,  in  one  sense,  his  supe- 
rior. Although  he  did  not  plead  guilty  to  the  weakness 
of  moral  cowardice,  he  felt  that  the  battle-field  was  a 
fearful  place,  from  which,  unaided  by  its  special  in- 
spirations, he  should  run.  Indeed,  Mr.  Lincoln  did 
not  give  himself  credit  for  the  physical  courage  which 


HIS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        39 1 

he  really  possessed,  though  he  had  probably  grown 
timid  with  his  failing  strength. 

"  This  sympathy  with  the  soldiers  he  manifested  in 
many  ways,  and  in  none  more  than  in  the  treatment 
of  their  offences  against  military  law.  In  a  letter 
to  the  author,  a  personal  friend  of  the  President 
says :  *  I  called  on  him  one  day  in  the  early  part 
of  the  war.  He  had  just  written  a  pardon  for  a 
young  man  who  had  been  sentenced  to  be  shot,  for 
sleeping  at  his  post  as  a  sentinel.  He  remarked  as 
he  read  it  to  me  :  — 

"  '  I  could  not  think  of  going  into  eternity  with  the 
blood  of  the  poor  young  man  on  my  skirts.*  Then 
he  added  :  — 

"  *  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  a  boy,  raised  on  a 
farm,  probably  in  the  habit  of  going  to  bed  at  dusk, 
should,  when  required  to  watch,  fall  asleep  ;  and  I  can- 
not consent  to  shoot  him  for  such  an  act.' 

"  This  story  with  its  moral  is  made  complete  by 
Rev.  Newman  Hall,  of  London,  who,  in  a  sermon 
preached  after  and  upon  Mr.  Lincoln's  death,  says 
that  the  dead  body  of  this  youth  was  found  among  the 
slain  on  the  field  of  Fredericksburg,  wearing  next  his 
heart  a  photograph  of  his  preserver,  beneath  which 
the  grateful  fellow  had  written,  '  God  bless  President 
Lincoln  ! '  From  the  same  sermon  another  anecdote 
is  gleaned,  of  a  similar  character,  which  is  evidently 
authentic.  An  officer  of  the  army,  in  conversation 
with  the  preacher,  said  :  *  The  first  week  of  our  com- 
mand, there  were  twenty-four  deserters  sentenced  by 
court-martial  to  be  shot,  and  the  warrants  for  their 
execution  were  sent  to  the  President  to  be  signed. 


392        PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

He  refused.  I  went  to  Washington  and  had  an  inter- 
view. I  said  :  "  Mr.  President,  unless  these  men  are 
made  an  example  of,  the  army  itself  is  in  danger. 
Mercy  to  the  few  is  cruelty  to  the  many." 

"  '  Mr.  General,'  he  replied,  *  there  are  already  too 
many  weeping  widows  in  the  United  States.  For 
God's  sake,  don't  ask  me  to  add  to  the  number,  for  I 
won't  do  it.'  " 

As  Dr.  Holland  intimates.  President  Lincoln  was 
deeply  impressed  by  deeds  of  daring,  and  he  never 
lost  sight  of  officer  or  private  who  distinguished  him- 
self in  raid  or  battle.  At  a  time  when  he  was  very 
much  depressed  in  consequence  of  defeats,  instead  of 
victories,  to  the  national  arms,  the  news  of  successes 
in  the  Department  of  the  West  was  brought  to  him.  * 
The  battle  of  Chickamauga  had  been  fought,  and  the 
bravery  and  exploits  of  General  Garfield  were  rehearsed 
to  him,  such  as  his  daring  ride  from  General  Rosecrans 
to  General  Thomas,  and  bringing  supplies  up  the  Big 
Sandy  to  his  hungry  soldiers. 

"  How  is  it,"  inquired  Mr.  Lincoln  of  an  army 
officer  who  was  present  at  the  time,  *'  that  Garfield  did 
in  two  weeks  what  would  have  taken  one  of  your 
regular  officers  two  months  to  accomplish  } " 

"  Because  he  was  not  educated  at  West  Point,  as  I 
was,"  replied  the  officer,  laughingly,  thinking  the 
President  designed  to  slur  West  Point  graduates. 

"  No,  that  was  not  the  reason,"  retorted  Mr.  Lincoln. 
"  It  was  because,  when  he  was  a  boy,  he  had  to  work 
for  a  living." 

He  made  Garfield  a  major-general  for  his  courage, 
tact,  and  efficiency  ;  and  when,  a  few  months  later, 


HIS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        393 

Ohio  proposed  to  transfer  him  to  Congress,  and  Gar- 
field objected,  the  President  said  :  — 

*'  By  all  means,  send  him  here.  We  need  just  such 
a  man  of  military  experience  and  skill  in  Congress." 

He  was  often  moved  by  the  tales  of  sacrifice  on  the 
part  of  parents,  wives,  and  sisters.  He  seemed  to 
enter  really  into  the  feelings  of  patriotic  mothers  and 
wives,  who  cheerfully  parted  with  their  dear  ones  for 
the  sake  of  their  country.  He  was  told  of  a  mother 
in  Boston  who  had  lost  five  sons  in  battles,  and  he 
immediately  sat  down  and  wrote  the  following  letter 
to  her :  — 

"Executive  Mansion,  Washington,  Nov.  21,  1864. 
"  Dear  Madam  :  —  I  have  been  shown,  in  die  files  of  the  War 
Department,  a  statement  of  the  Adjutant-General  of  Massachu- 
setts, that  you  are  the  mother  of  five  sons,  who  have  died  gloriously 
on  the  field  of  battle.  I  feel  how  weak  and  fruitless  must  be  any 
words  of  mine  which  should  attempt  to  beguile  you  from  the 
grief  of  a  loss  so  overwhelming.  But  I  cannot  refrain  from 
tendering  to  you  the  consolation  that  may  be  found  in  the  thanks 
of  the  Republic  they  died  to  save.  I  pray  that  our  Heavenly 
Father  may  assuage  the  anguish  of  your  bereavement,  and  leave 
you  only  the  cherished  memory  of  the  loved  and  lost,  and  the 
solemn  pride  that  must  be  yours  to  have  laid  so  costly  a  sacrifice 
upon  the  altar  of  freedon. 

"  Yours  very  sincerely  and  respectfully, 

"Abraham  Lincoln. 
"  To  Mrs.  BiXBY,  Boston,  Massachusetts." 

His  deep  interest  in  the  Union  army  caused  him  to 
hail  every  organization  in  behalf  of  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers.  The  Sanitary  Commission,  the 
Christian  Commission,  and  all  soldiers'  aid  societies, 
won  his  heart.     Any  measure  or  enterprise  that  would 


394       riOiXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

carry  comfort  to  the  "  boys  "  commanded  his  undivided 
support.  In  a  speech  at  the  close  of  a  very  successful 
fair  in  Washington,  for  the  benefit  of  soldiers,  he 
said  :  — 

"  In  this  extraordinary  war,  extraordinary  developments  have 
manifested  themselves,  such  as  have  not  been  seen  in  former 
wars  ;  and  among  these  manifestations  nothing  has  been  more 
remarkable  than  these  fairs  for  the  relief  of  suffering  soldiers 
and  their  families.  And  the  chief  agents  in  these  fairs  are  the 
women  of  America.  I  am  not  accustomed  to  the  use  of  the 
language  of  eulogy  ;  I  have  never  studied  the  art  of  paying 
compliments  to  women  ;  but  I  must  say  that,  if  all  that  has  been 
said  by  orators  and  poets,  since  the  creation  of  the  world,  in 
praise  of  women  were  applied  to  the  women  of  America,  it  would 
not  do  them  justice  for  their  conduct  during  this  war.  I  will 
close  by  saying,  God  bless  the  women  of  America  ! " 

He  was  invited  to  preside  at  a  meeting  of  the  Chris- 
tian Commission  in  Washington,  but  a  pressure  of 
duties  prevented  even  his  attendance.  He  wrote, 
however,  to  the  chairman  of  the  committee :  — 

"While,  for  reasons  which  I  deem  sufficient,  I  must  dechne  to 
preside,  I  cannot  withhold  my  approval  of  the  meeting,  and  its 
worthy  objects.  Whatever  shall  be,  sincerely  and  in  God's  name, 
devised  for  the  good  of  the  soldiers  and  seamen  in  their  hard 
spheres  of  duty,  can  scarcely  fail  to  be  blessed.  And  whatever 
shall  turn  our  thoughts  from  the  unreasoning  and  uncharitable 
passions,  prejudices,  and  jealousies  incident  to  a  great  national 
trouble  such  as  ours,  and  to  fix  them  on  the  vast  and  long-endur- 
ing consequences,  for  weal  or  for  woe,  which  are  to  result  from 
the  trouble,  and  especially  to  strengthen  our  reliance  on  the 
Supreme  Being  for  the  final  triumph  of  the  right,  cannot  but  be 
well  for  us  all." 

These  earnest  words  voice  not  only  his  abiding 
interest  in  the  loyal  army,  but  also  his  equally  abiding 


HIS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        395 

confidence  that  God  would  give  final  victory  to  the 
right. 

For  the  purpose  of  emphasizing  his  sympathy  with 
the  boys  at  the  front,  he  attended  soldiers'  fairs  in 
Baltimore  and  Philadelphia.  Three  years  before  he 
was  obliged  to  pass  through  the  former  city  in  dis- 
guise to  escape  assassination.  In  its  streets  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Sixth  had  met  with  a  bloody  reception,  on 
its  way  to  protect  Washington,  and  left  some  of  its 
heroic  members  dead.  The  city  was  then  a  hot-bed  of 
treason.  But  a  great  change  had  been  wrought  there, 
and  the  chief  attraction  of  the  Soldiers'  Fair  was  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  Alluding  to  the  remarkable 
change  that  had  been  wrought  he  said,  in  his  ad- 
dress, — 

''  Calling  to  mind  that  we  are  in  Baltimore,  we 
cannot  fail  to  note  that  the  world  moves.  Looking 
upon  the  many  people  I  see  assembled  here  to  serve 
as  they  best  may  the  soldiers  of  the  Union,  it  occurs 
to  me  that  three  years  ago  those  soldiers  could  not 
pass  through  Baltimore.  I  would  say,  blessings  upon 
the  men  who  have  wrought  these  changes,  and  the 
women  who  have  assisted  them  !  " 

In  both  these  places,  he  spoke  of  the  loyalty  and 
sufferings  of  the  "  boys  "  with  fatherly  tenderness,  and 
eulogized  the  women  of  the  land  for  their  self-denying 
and  philanthropic  labors  in  their  behalf. 

The  proceeds  of  the  Fair  at  Philadelphia  amounted 
to  one  million  three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  a  result 
over  which  the  President  became  enthusiastic.  When 
he  was  told  that  the  fairs  in  eleven  cities  netted  nearly 
FIVE  MILLION  DOLLARS  hc  cxclaimcd  :  — 


39^       riOjXEER  HOME    TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Was  there  ever  such  a  country  for  patriotism  and 
liberaHty  ?  How  much  suffering  will  be  prevented 
among  the  brave  boys  ! " 

When  he  was  told  that  the  Sanitary  Commission, 
within  ten  days  after  the  terrible  battle  of  Antietam, 
sent  28,763  pieces  of  dry  goods,  shirts,  towels,  bed- 
ticks,  pillows,  etc. ;  30  barrels  of  old  linen,  bandages, 
and  lint  ;  3,188  pounds  of  farina ;  2,620  pounds  of  con- 
densed milk ;  5,000  pounds  of  beef-stock  and  canned 
meats  ;  several  tons  of  lemons  and  other  fruit,  crackers, 
tea,  sugar,  rubber-cloth,  tin-cups,  and  4,000  sets  of 
hospital  clothing  ;  all  of  which  was  tenderly  distributed 
among  the  wounded  by  the  scores  of  volunteer  agents 
of  the  Christian  Commission,  language  was  not  an 
ample  vehicle  to  convey  his  overflowing  gratitude  ;  his 
unbidden  tears  told  how  full  of  joy  his  heart  was. 

We  have  said  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  opposed  to  the 
war-rule  of  retaliation  ;  but  the  suffering  of  our  soldiers 
in  Libby  Prison,  at  Andersonville,  Belle  Isle,  and  at 
other  points  in  the  South,  caused  him  to  modify  his 
views,  and  declare  for  retaliation,  at  least,  under  cer- 
tain circumstances. 

The  investigation  of  the  Congressional  Committee 
on  the  "Conduct  of  the  War,"  confirmed  the  most 
harrowing  reports  from  rebel  prisons,  over  which  Mr. 
Lincoln's  heart  bled,  and  his  indignation  was  aroused. 
Speaker  Colfax  said  of  him,  *'  I  doubt  if  his  most  inti- 
mate associate  ever  heard  him  utter  bitter  or  vindic- 
tive language.  He  seemed  wholly  free  from  malignity 
or  revenge,  from  ill-will  or  injustice."  But  the  bar- 
barous treatment  of  his  *'boys,"  who  were  prisoners  in 
Southern    stockades,    came   very   near   upsetting   his 


HIS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        Z97 


famous  motto,  "  With  malice  towards  none ;  with 
charity  for  all."  He  could  endure  censure  and  even 
insult,  and,  "  attacked  ever  so  sharply,  never  answered 
railing  for  railing,"  but  his  whole  soul  was  stirred  over 
the  treatment  of  Union  soldiers  by  their  captors. 

The  letter  of  Surgeon  Chapel,  who  had  charge  of 
the  "  West's  Buildings  Hospital,"  Baltimore,  to  which 
many  of  our  soldiers  were  sent,  on  returning  from 
Southern  prisons,  caused  him  to  weep,  as  if  the  suf- 
ferers were  members  of  his  own  family.  The  letter 
was  addressed  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Congressional 
Committee,  and  was  as  follows  :  — 

"  Dear  Sir,  —  I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  the  photograph 
of  John  Breiring,  with  the  desired  information  written  upon  it.  I 
am  very  sorry  your  committee  could  not  have  seen  these  cases 
when  first  received.  No  one,  from  these  pictures,  can  form  a 
true  estimate  of  their  condition  then  ;  not  one  in  ten  was  able  to 
stand  alone  ;  some  of  them  so  covered  and  eaten  by  vermin  that 
they  nearly  resem.bled  cases  of  small-pox,  and  so  emaciated  that 
they  were  really  living  skeletons,  and  hardly  Ihaf,  as  the  result 
shows,  —  forty  out  of  one  hundred  and  four  having  died  up  to  this 
date.  If  there  has  been  anything  so  horrible,  so  fiendish,  as  this 
wholesale  starvation,  in  the  history  of  this  satanic  Rebellion,  I 
have  failed  to  note  it.  Better  the  massacres  of  Lawrence,  Fort 
Pillow,  and  Plymouth,  than  to  be  thus  starved  to  death  by  inches, 
through  long  and  weary  months." 

Mr.  Lincoln  could  not  consent  to  the  starvation  of 
rebel  prisoners,  nor  to  any  approximation  to  cruel 
treatment.  Retaliation  must  take  some  other  form,  or 
he  would  not  endorse  it.  His  real  sympathy  with  sol- 
diers, in  their  hardships  and  perils,  extended  even  to 
rebel  prisoners  in  our  hands.  At  Frederick,  Md.,  he 
visited  a  house  in  which  there  were  a  lar^e  number  of 


39S       PIONEER  HO^^E    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Confederate  wounded  men.  After  viewing  the  scene, 
he  said  to  them  :  — 

"  I  should  be  pleased  to  take  you  all  by  the  hand,  if 
you  have  no  objections.  The  solemn  obligations  which 
we  owe  to  our  country  and  posterity  compel  the 
prosecution  of  this  war.  Many  of  you,  no  doubt, 
occupy  the  attitude  of  enemies  through  uncontrollable 
circumstances.  I  bear  no  malice  toward  you,  and  can 
take  you  by  the  hand  with  sympathy  and  good  feel- 
ing. 

There  was  hesitation  at  first,  but  it  was  soon  broken, 
and  the  Confederates  stepped  forward  to  shake  the 
President's  hand.  Some  of  the  number  were  too  badly 
wounded  to  rise  ;  Mr.  Lincoln  approached  them,  and, 
taking  each  one  by  the  hand  in  turn,  remarked,  — 

"  Be  of  good  cheer,  boys,  and  the  end  will  be  well. 
The  best  of  care  shall  be  taken  of  you." 

It  was  a  touching  scene,  and  there  were  few  dry 
eyes  present.  Many  of  the  Confederates  wept.  It  was 
evidently  unexpected  treatment  to  them.  This  was 
the  kind  of  retaliation  in  which  President  Lincoln 
fully  believed.  It  caused  him  unpleasantness  and  pain 
to  be  compelled  to  depart  from  it.  He  heartily  en- 
joyed such  a  scene  as  was  described  to  him  after  the 
battle  of  Antietam. 

One  of  the  agents  of  the  Christian  Commission 
found  several  wounded  Confederate  soldiers  in  a  barn- 
yard, deserted  by  their  surgeons,  and  no  one  near  to 
help  them.  They  had  been  lying  there  with  the 
dead  for  three  days,  without  food  or  drink.  The  agent 
hurried  food  to  them  as  soon  as  possible,  and,  with 
others,  was  proceeding  to  wash  them  when  one  of  the 


HIS  GREA  T  INTEREST  IN  SOLDIERS.        399 

number,  from  whose  feet  he  was  pulling  his  dirty 
stockings,  began  to  cry  violently. 

"What's  the  matter?  Do  I  hurt  you ?"  inquired 
the  agent. 

"  No,  you  don't,"  sobbed  the  man. 

**  What,  then,  can  be  the  matter  }  Really,  I  can't  go 
on  with  my  work  unless  you  tell  me  what  is  the 
matter." 

"  Matter  enough,'*  ejaculated  the  Confederate. 
"  You  call  us  rebels,  and  I  suppose  we  are  ;  for  I 
fought  against  the  old  flag  ;  but,  when  we  are  wounded, 
you  come  to  us  here,  not  like  angels,  but  like  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  himself,  washing  our  feet ;  and  I 
can't  stand   it.     I  can't  stand  it." 

Such  treatment  of  enemies  just  suited  Mr.  Lincoln. 
The  rehearsal  of  that  single  incident  made  him  happy 
for  a  whole  day. 

In  the  light  of  such  facts,  W.  H.  Herndon,  Esq., 
of  Springfield,  III,  was  right  in  saying,  — 

*'  Through  his  perceptions,  —  the  suggestiveness  of 
nature,  his  originality,  and  strength ;  through  his 
magnificent  reason,  his  understanding,  his  conscience, 
his  tenderness,  and  kindness,  his  heart,  rather  than 
love,  —  he  approximated  as  nearly  as  most  human 
beings  in  this  imperfect  state  to  an  embodim,ent  of  the 
great  moral  principle,  '  Do  unto  others  as  ye  would 
they  should  do  unto  you.'  " 

Thousands  of  the  brave  men  who  honored  and 
loved  Abraham  Lincoln  sleep  on  Southern  soil.  They 
went  down  to  the  graves  of  heroes  from  a  thousand 
battle-fields,  through  four  long,  bloody,  dreadful  years  ; 
and  no  heart  throbbed  with  truer  sympathy  for  them 


400       PIOiXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

in  their  sufferings  than  the  heart  of  the  President ; 
and  no  eyes  shed  hotter  tears  for  their  loss  than  his. 
And  when  the  nation's  offering  was  complete,  and 
there  were  no  more  human  sacrifices  to  be  laid  upon 
the  altar  of  liberty  on  gory  fields,  and  the  country  was 
jubilant  over  the  final  victory  and  the  return  of  peace, 
the  chieftain  himself  was  added  to  the  hecatomb  of 
loyal  men,  the  tears  and  lamentations  of  a  loving  and 
afflicted  people  consecrating  the  unparalleled  sacrifice ! 
Well  may  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  cherish 
the  memory  of  their  heroic  leader,  whose  thoughts 
were  ever  with  them  on  the  field  of  conflict.  How 
ring  his  beautiful  words,  "The  mystic  chords  of  memory, 
stretching  from  every  battle-field  and  patriot  grave  to 
every  living  heart  and  hearthstone  all  over  this  broad 
land,  will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union,  when 
again  touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the  better 
angels  of  our  nature  !  " 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 
HIS  WORK  FOR  THE   COLORED   RACE. 

RESIDENT  LINCOLN'S  life  in  the  White 
House  was  distinguished  by  his  work  for 
the  colored  race.  So  providential  and  im- 
portant were  his  relations  to  both  free  and 
enslaved  negroes,  that  justice  could  not  be  done  to  him 
or  the  subject  without  a  separate  exhibit  of  his  work 
for  them.  He  was,  not  only  "The  Saviour  of  his 
Country,"  but,  also,  "The  Liberator  of  a  Race." 
While  his  great  purpose  was  to  save  the  Union,  giv- 
ing freedom  to  the  slaves  became  absolutely  necessary. 
He  expressed  his  views  in  the  following  clear,  forcible 
and  characteristic  way,  after  three  years  of  war  :  — 

"  I  am  naturally  anti-slavery.  If  slavery  is  not  wrong,  nothing 
is  wrong.  I  cannot  remember  when  I  did  not  see,  think  and  feel 
that  it  was  wrong,  and  yet  I  have  never  understood  that  the 
Presidency  conferred  upon  me  an  unrestricted  right  to  act  of- 
ficially upon  this  judgment  and  feeling.  ...  I  could  not  feel  that, 
to  the  best  of  my  ability,  I  had  tried  to  preserve  the  Constitution, 
if,  to  preserve  slavery  or  any  minor  matter,  I  should  permit  the 
wreck  of  the  government,  country  and  Constitution  altogether. 
...  I  claim  not  to  have  controlled  events,  but  confess  plainly 
that  events  have  controlled  me.  Now,  at  the  end  of  three  years' 
struggle,  the  nation's  condition  is  not  what  either  party  or  any 


402        PTOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

man  devised  or  expected  ;  God  alone  can  claim  it.  Whither  it  is 
tending  seems  plain.  If  God  now  wills  the  removal  of  a  great 
wrong,  and  wills,  also,  that  we  of  the  North  as  well  as  you  of  the 
South  shall  pay  fairly  for  our  complicity  in  that  wrong,  impartial 
history  will  find  therein  new  cause  to  attest  and  revere  the  justice 
and  goodness  of  God." 

His  memorable  letter  to  Horace  Greeley  contained 
the  following  passages,  which  will  appear  more  and 
more  remarkable  as  the  ages  roll  on  :  — 

"  If  there  be  those  who  would  not  save  the  Union  unless  they 
could  at  the  same  time  save  slavery,  I  do  not  agree  with  them. 

If  there  be  those  who  would  not  save  the  Union  unless  they 
could  at  the  same  time  destroy  slavery,  I  do  not  agree  with 
them. 

Afy  paramou7it  object  is  to  save  the  Union^  and  not  either  to 
save  or  destroy  slavery. 

If  I  could  save  the  Union  without  freeing  any  slave,  I  would  do 
it  —if  I  could  save  it  by  freeing  all  the  slaves,  I  would  do  it  — 
and  if  I  could  do  it  by  freeing  some  and  leaving  others  alone,  I 
would  also  do  that. 

What  I  do  about  slavery  and  the  colored  race,  I  do  because  it 
helps  to  save  the  Union,  and  what  I  forbear,  I  forbear  because  I 
do  not  believe  it  would  help  to  save  the  Union. 

I  shall  do  less  whenever  I  shall  believe  what  I  am  doing  hurts 
the  cause,  and  I  shall  do  more  whenever  I  believe  doing  more 
will  help  the  cause. 

I  shall  try  to  correct  errors  when  shown  to  be  errors,  and  I 
shall  adopt  new  views  as  fast  as  they  appear  to  be  true  views. 

I  have  here  stated  my  purpose  according  to  my  view  of  official 
duty,  and  intend  no  modification  of  my  oft-expressed  personal 
wish  that  all  men  everywhere  could  be  free." 

For  independent  thought,  invincible  purpose,  clear- 
ness of  expression,  model  composition,  and  lofty  senti- 
ment, the  foregoing  was  never  excelled  by  American 
statesmen. 


NTS  WORK  FOR   THE   COLORED  RACE.      403 

With  these  principles  and  aims,  Mr.  Lincoln  grap- 
pled with  slavery  —  the  real  cause  of  the  Rebellion  — 
and,  finally,  enlisted  nearly  two  hundred  thousand 
negroes  as  soldiers  in  the  Union  army,  and  gave  liberty 
to  every  slave  in  the  land. 

Sojourner  Truth  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Lincoln  as 
having  ''come  all  the  way  from  Michigan  to  see  you." 

''I  am  very  much  pleased  to  see  you,"  responded 
Mr.  Lincoln,  rising  from  his  seat,  and  shaking  the  old 
lady's  hand  cordially.     "Take  a  seat." 

"Mr.  President,"  repUed  Sojourner,  "when  you  first 
took  your  seat  I  feared  you  would  be  torn  to  pieces, 
for  I  likened  you  unto  Daniel,  who  was  thrown  into 
the  lions'  den  ;  and  if  the  lions  did  not  tear  you  in 
pieces,  I  knew  that  it  would  be  God  that  had  saved 
you  ;  and  I  said  if  he  spared  me  I  would  see  you  before 
the  four  years  expired,  and  He  has  done  so,  and  now  I 
am  here  to  see  you  for  myself." 

"  I  am  truly  glad  that  you  have  been  spared  to  see 
this  day,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  I  appreciate  you,  for  you  are  the  best  President 
who  has  ever  taken  his  seat,"  added  the  old  lady. 

"  I  suppose  you  refer  to  the  emancipation  of  your 
race,"  responded  the  President. 

For  half  an  hour  the  conversation  continued  with  as 
much  cordiality  and  politeness  on  the  part  of  the  Presi- 
dent as  he  would  have  shown  to  the  most  refined  white 
woman  in  Washington. 

At  one  time  he  learned  that  Frederick  Douglas,  the 
distinguished  ex-slave,  was  in  Washington;  and  he 
sent  his  carriage  to  his  boarding-place,  with  the  mes- 
sage :  "  Come  up  and  take  tea  with  me." 


404       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Mr.  Douglas  accepted  the  invitation ;  and,  for  the 
first  time  in  the  history  of  our  country,  a  colored 
man  became  an  invited  guest  in  the  Executive 
Mansion.  Mr.  Douglas  said  of  that  interview,  sub- 
sequently :  — 

"  Mr.  Lincoln  is  one  of  the  few  white  men  I  ever 
passed  an  hour  with,  who  failed  to  remind  me  in  some 
way,  before  the  interview  terminated,  that  I  am  a 
negro." 

The  children  of  Concord,  Mass.,  sent  a  memorial  to 
him,  praying  for  the  freedom  of  all  slave  children.  He 
replied  to  it  as  follows :  — 

"  Tell  those  little  people  I  am  very  glad  their  young 
hearts  are  so  full  of  just  and  generous  sympathy,  and 
that  while  I  have  not  the  power  to  grant  all  they  ask, 
I  trust  they  will  remember  that  God  has ;  and  that,  as 
it  seems,  He  wills  to  do  it." 

A  citizen  of  Washington  entered  the  President's 
office  one  day,  and  found  him  counting  greenbacks. 

"This  is  something  out  of  my  usual  line,"  Mr.  Lin- 
coln remarked ;  "  but  a  President  of  the  United  States 
has  a  multitude  of  duties  not  specified  in  the  Constitu- 
tion or  acts  of  Congress." 

The  gentleman  responded  courteously,  hinting  that 
he  would  like  to  know  what  special  duty  was  connected 
with  that  pile  of  greenbacks. 

"This  money  belongs  to  a  poor  negro,  who  is  a 
porter  in  the  Treasury  Department,  at  present  very 
sick  with  the  small-pox.  He  is  now  in  the  hospital, 
and  could  not  draw  his  pay  because  he  could  not  sign 
his  name.  I  have  been  to  considerable  trouble  in 
overcoming  the  difficulty,  and  getting  it  for  him,  and 


HIS  WORK  FOR   THE   COLORED  RACE.      405 

cutting  red  tape,  as  you  newspaper  men  say.  I  am 
now  dividing  the  money,  and  putting  by  a  portion, 
labelled,  in  an  envelope,  with  my  own  hands,  according 
to  his  wish."  Thus  the  kind-hearted  man  had  turned 
aside  from  grave  official  duties  to  assist  and  comfort 
one  of  the  humblest  of  God's  creatures  in  his  suffer- 
ings and  sorrow. 

A  delegation  of  colored  men  from  Louisiana  waited 
upon  the  President  to  ask  for  some  additional  rights. 

*'  I  regret,  gentlemen,  that  you  are  not  able  to 
secure  all  your  rights,  and  that  circumstances  will  not 
permit  the  government  to  confer  them  upon  you.  I 
wish  you  would  amend  your  petition  so  as  to  include 
several  suggestions  which  I  think  will  give  more  effect 
to  your  prayer,  and,  after  having  done  so,  please  hand 
it  to  me." 

''  If  you  will  permit  me,"  replied  the  chairman  of 
the  delegation,  "  I  will  make  the  alterations  here." 

*'Are  you,  then,  the  author  of  this  eloquent  pro- 
duction t  "  inquired  Mr.  Lincoln. 

"  Whether  eloquent  or  not,  it  is  my  work,"  was  the 
modest  reply ;  and  the  negro  took  his  seat  by  the 
President's  side,  and  made  the  alterations  suggested. 
A  Southern  gentleman  present  concluded  that  Mr. 
Lincoln  did  not  know  that  the  delegation  from  Louisi- 
ana were  "black  men." 

The  rebel  government  inflicted  inhuman  barbarities 
upon  Union  colored  soldiers  at  Port  Hudson,  Morris 
Island,  and  other  places.  The  knowledge  of  the 
harrowing  facts  reaching  the  President,  he  immediately 
issued  the  following  proclamation  for  the  protection  of 
colored  soldiers :  — 


406       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Executive  Mansion,  July  30,  1863. 

"  It  is  the  duty  of  every  government  to  give  protection  to  its 
citizens,  of  whatever  class,  color,  or  condition,  especially  those 
who  are  duly  organized  as  soldiers  in  the  public  service.  The 
law  of  nations,  and  the  usages  and  customs  of  war,  as  carried  on 
by  civilized  powers,  permit  no  distinction  as  to  color  in  the  treat- 
ment of  prisoners  of  war  as  public  enemies.  To  sell  or  enslave 
any  captured  person  on  account  of  his  color,  and  for  no  offence 
against  the  laws  of  w^ar,  is  a  relapse  into  barbarism,  and  a  crime 
against  the  civilization  of  the  age.  The  Government  of  the 
United  States  will  give  the  same  protection  to  all  its  soldiers  ; 
and  if  the  enemy  shall  sell  or  enslave  any  one  because  of  his 
color,  the  offence  shall  be  punished  by  retaliation  upon  the 
enemy's  prisoners  in  our  possession.  It  is,  therefore,  ordered, 
that  for  every  soldier  of  the  United  States  killed  in  violation  of 
the  laws  of  war,  a  rebel  soldier  shall  be  executed  ;  and  for  every 
one  enslaved  by  the  enemy,  or  sold  into  slavery,  a  rebel  soldier 
shall  be  placed  at  hard  labor  on  the  public  works,  and  continued 
at  such  labor  until  the  other  shall  be  released  and  receive  the 
treatment  due  to  a  prisoner  of  war. 

"Abraham  Lincoln. 

"  By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War. 

"  E.  D.  TowNSEND,  Adjutant-General.^'' 

Here,  again,  is  proof  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  genuine  in- 
terest in  the  soldiers.  Retaliation  was  a  war  measure 
from  which  he  shrank  ;  his  whole  nature  condemned 
it.  And  yet  he  adopted  it,  in  the  circumstances,  as  a 
dire  necessity,  to  protect  the  soldier.  In  no  case 
would  he  consent  to  starve  or  torture  rebel  prisoners 
by  way  of  retaliation  ;  but  he  did  consent  to  take  life 
for  life. 

President  Lincoln  often  expressed  his  admiration  of 
the  bravery  and  loyalty  of  colored  soldiers,  and  once 
he  .said  to  Judge  J.  T.'' Mills,  of  Wisconsin  :  — 

"  There  have  been  men  base  enough  to  propose  to 


HIS  WORK  FOR   THE   COLORED  RACE.      407 


me  to  return  to  slavery  the  black  warriors  of  Port 
Hudson  and  Olustee,  and  thus  win  the  respect  of  the 
masters  they  fought.  Should  I  do  so,  I  should  deserve 
to  be  damned  in  time  and  eternity.  Come  what  will, 
I  will  keep  my  faith  with  friend  and  foe." 

He  was  applied  to  for  the  pardon  of  a  slave-dealer 
sentenced  to  five  years'  imprisonment  and  a  fine  of  a 
thousand  dollars.  He  had  served  the  five  years  in 
Newburyport  prison,  Massachusetts,  and  was  now  held 
because  he  could  not  pay  the  fine.  Parties  interceded 
for  the  prisoner,  and  bore  from  him  a  very  touching 
letter  to  the  President.  After  having  listened  to  the 
slave-dealer's  advocate,  and  read  his  piteous  letter,  Mr. 
Lincoln  said  :  — 

''That  is  a  very  pathetic  appeal  to  my  feelings.  You 
know  my  weakness  is  to  be,  if  possible,  too  easily  moved 
by  appeals  for  mercy,  and  if  this  man  were  guilty  of 
the  foulest  murder  that  the  arm  of  man  could  perpe- 
trate, I  might  forgive  him  on  such  an  appeal ;  but  the 
man  who  could  go  to  Africa,  and  rob  her  of  her  children, 
and  sell  them  into  interminable  bondage,  with  no  other 
motive  than  that  which  is  furnished  by  dollars  and 
cents,  is  so  much  worse  than  the  most  depraved  mur- 
derer, that  he  can  never  receive  pardon  at  my  hands. 
No !  He  may  rot  in  jail  before  he  shall  have  liberty  by 
any  act  of  mine." 

Before  General  Wadsworth  was  killed  in  the  battle 
of  the  Wilderness,  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Lincoln  and  in- 
quired, ''  if  universal  amnesty  should  not  be  accom- 
panied with  universal  suffrage  in  the  event  of  complete 
success  in  the  field." 

Mr.  Lincoln  replied:  ''How  to  better  the  condition 


408       PIOA'EER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

of  the  colored  race  has  long  been  a  study  which  has 
attracted  my  serious  and  careful  attention;  hence  I 
think  I  am  clear  and  decided  as  to  what  course  I  shall 
pursue  in  the  premises,  regarding  it  a  religious  duty, 
as  the  nation's  guardian  of  these  people  who  have  so 
heroically  vindicated  their  manhood  on  the  battle-field, 
where,  in  assisting  to  save  the  life  of  the  Republic, 
they  have  demonstrated  in  blood  their  right  to  the 
ballot,  which  is  but  the  humane  protection  of  the  flag 
they  have  so  fearlessly  defended." 

The  reverence  of  the  colored  people  for  President 
Lincoln  was  always  great,  but  its  climax  was  reached 
when  the  proclamation  of  emancipation  was  issued. 
At  one  of  his  receptions,  a  large  number  of  colored 
people  gathered  about  the  Executive  Mansion,  and 
waited  two  hours  for  the  crowd  of  white  visitors  to  pass. 
At  length,  they  timidly  advanced  to  the  reception- 
room,  as  if  doubting  whether  they  would  be  welcome, 
when  Mr.  Lincoln  met  them  with  one  of  his  sweetest 
smiles,  and  encouraged  them  to  take  his  hand.  Their 
joy  was  unbounded,  and  they  gave  vent  to  their  feel- 
ings in  the  wildest  manner.  An  eye-witness  says, 
"  They  laughed  and  wept,  and  wept  and  laughed,  — 
exclaiming  through  their  blinding  tears,  *  God  bless 
you ! '  '  God  bless  Abraham  Lincoln  ! '  '  God  bless 
Massa  Linkum  ! '  " 

Miss  Cancdy,  of  Fall  River,  Mass.,  was  teaching  the 
colored  people  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  and  in  her  school-room 
was  a  plaster  bust  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  One  day  she 
showed  it  to  some  colored  men  who  were  at  work 
around  the  building,  remarking  about  their  benefactor. 
Their  exclamations  were  as  follows  :  — 


HIS  WORK  FOR   THE  COLORED  RACE.      409 

'*  He's  brought  us  safe  through  the  Red  Sea." 

"  He  looks  as  deep  as  the  sea  himself." 

"He's  king  of  the  United  States." 

"He  ought  to  be  king  of  the  world." 

"  We  must  all  pray  to  the  Lord  to  carry  him  safe 
through,  for  it  'pears  like  he's  got  everything  hitched 
to  him." 

"  There  has  been  a  right  smart  praying  for  him,  and 
it  must  n't  stop  now." 

President  Lincoln's  entrance  into  Richmond,  after 
the  rebel  forces  were  driven  out,  was  the  signal  for 
great  rejoicing  among  the  colored  people.  He  entered 
the  conquered  city  on  foot,  attended  only  by  "  Tad  " 
and  the  sailors  who  rowed  him  up  the  James  river.  So 
quiet  and  unpretentious  was  his  advent,  that  the  ne- 
groes were  taken  by  surprise ;  and,  when  they  found 
that  the  "Great  Emancipator"  was  actually  there,  their 
joy  knew  no  bound.  Some  of  them  shouted;  many  of 
them  cried;  all  of  them  were  frantic  with  delight. 
"Glory  to  God!"  "Glory!"  "Glory!"  "Glory!"  was 
the  hearty  tribute  of  the  liberated  slaves. 

"  I  thank  you,  dear  Jesus,  that  I  behold  President 
Linkum,"  exclaimed  a  woman  on  the  street,  crying 
like  a  child. 

"Bless  de  Lord!  Bless  de  Lord!  Bless  de  Lord!" 
exclaimed  several,  jumping  up  and  down  as  if  bereft  of 
their  reason. 

An  eye-witness  says,  "  An  old  negro  cried  out,  '  May 
de  good  Lord  bless  you.  President  Linkum ! '  while  he 
removed  his  hat,  and  the  tears  of  joy  rolled  down  his 
cheeks.  The  President  removed  his  own  hat,  and 
bowed  in  silence;  but  it  was  a  bow  which  upset  the 


410       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

forms,  laws,  customs,  and  ceremonies  of  centuries.  It 
was  a  death  shock  to  *  chivalry,'  and  a  mortal  wound 
to  caste." 

Colonel  McKaye,  Robert  Dale  Owen,  and  one  or 
two  other  gentlemen,  were  appointed  by  President 
Lincoln  to  investigate  the  condition  of  the  freedmen 
on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina.  When  they  reported 
to  Mr.  Lincoln,  Colonel  McKaye  related  the  following 
incident,  as  given  by  Mr.  Carpenter :  — 

"  He  had  been  speaking  of  the  ideas  of  power  enter- 
tained by  these  people.  He  said  they  had  an  idea  of 
God,  as  the  Almighty,  and  they  had  realized  in  their 
former  condition  the  power  of  their  masters.  Up  to 
the  time  of  the  arrival  among  them  of  the  Union  forces, 
they  had  no  knowledge  of  any  other  power.  Their 
masters  fled  upon  the  approach  of  our  soldiers,  and 
this  gave  the  slaves  a  conception  of  a  power  greater 
than  that  exercised  by  them.  This  power  they  called 
'Massa  Linkum.' 

*'  Colonel  McKaye  said  that  their  place  of  worship 
was  a  large  building  which  they  called  'the  praise 
house ; '  and  the  leader  of  the  meeting,  a  venerable 
black  man,  was  known  as  'the  praise  man.'  On  a 
certain  day,  when  there  was  quite  a  large  gathering  of 
people,  considerable  confusion  was  created  by  different 
persons  attempting  to  tell  who  and  what  *  Massa  Lin- 
kum '  was.  In  the  midst  of  the  excitement  the  white- 
headed  leader  commanded  silence.  *  Brederin,'  'said 
he,  'you  don't  know  noscn'  what  you'se  talkin'  'bout. 
Now,  you  just  listen  to  me.  Massa  Linkum,  he  ebery- 
Vvhar.  He  know  cbcryting.'  Then,  solemnly  looking 
up,  he  added,  *  He  walk  de  earf  like  de  Lord  T 


HIS  WORK  FOR    THE   COLORED  RACE.      41 1 


''  Colonel  McKaye  told  me  that  Mr.  Lincoln  seemed 
much  affected  by  this  account.  He  did  not  smile,  as 
another  man  might  have  done,  but  got  up  from  his 
chair,  and  walked  in  silence  two  or  three  times  across 
the  floor.  As  he  resumed  his  seat,  he  said,  very  im- 
pressively :  '  It  is  a  momentous  thing  to  be  the  instru- 
ment, under  Providence,  of  the  liberation  of  a  race.'  " 

The  colored  people  of  Baltimore  presented  the 
President  with  a  very  costly  and  beautiful  copy  of  the 
Bible.  Three  colored  clergymen  and  two  laymen  were 
the  committee  to  present  it.  The  address  accompany- 
ing the  gift  was  tender  and  reverential,  to  which  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  replied  in  a  characteristic  speech,  in  which 
he  said  of  the  Bible  :  — 

'*  It  is  the  best  gift  which  God  has  ever  given  to 
man.  All  the  good  from  the  Saviour  of  the  world  is 
communicated  to  us  through  this  book.  But  for  that 
book  we  could  not  know  right  from  wrong.  All  those 
truths  desirable  for  men  are  contained  in  it.  I  return 
you  my  sincere  thanks  for  the  very  elegant  copy  of  the 
great  Book  of  God  which  you  present." 

The  Bible  bore  the  following  inscription  :  — 

"To  Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of  the  United  States,  the 
friend  of  Universal  Freedom.  From  the  loyal  colored  people  of 
Baltimore,  as  a  token  of  respect  and  gratitude.  Baltimore,  July 
4th,  1864." 

A  colored  woman  of  Philadelphia  presented  him  with 
a  collection  of  wax-fruits,  with  an  ornamented  stem- 
table— an  elegant  affair.  Her  pastor,  Mr.  Hamilton, 
made  the  presentation  address,  but  closed  by  saying, 
"perhaps  Mrs.  Johnson  would  like  to  say  a  few  words." 


412       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

What  ]Mrs.  Johnson  did  is  best  told  in  her  own  words : 
"  I  looked  down  to  the  floor,  and  felt  that  I  had  not  a 
word  to  say,  but  after  a  moment  or  two,  the  fire  began 
to  bum  (laying  her  hand  on  her  breast),  and  it  burned 
and  burned  till  it  went  all  over  me.  I  think  it  was  the 
Spirit,  and  I  looked  up  to  him  and  said :  *  Mr.  Presi- 
dent, I  believe  God  has  hewn  you  out  of  a  rock,  for 
this  great  and  mighty  purpose.  Many  have  been  led 
away  by  bribes  of  gold,  of  silver,  of  presents ;  but  you 
have  stood  firm,  because  God  was  with  you,  and  if  you 
are  faithful  to  the  end,  he  will  be  with  you.'  With  his 
eyes  full  of  tears,  he  walked  round  and  examined  the 
present,  pronounced  it  beautiful,  thanked  me  kindly, 
but  said  :  *  You  must  not  give  me  the  praise  —  it  be- 
longs to  God.' " 

Some  public  men  desired  Mr.  Lincoln  to  issue  his 
Proclamation  of  Emancipation  long  before  he  did. 
Delegations  waited  upon  him  to  express  their  wishes  in 
that  direction.  To  a  delegation  of  clergymen  from  Chi- 
cago, who  urged  the  measure  upon  him,  he  replied  :  — 

"  I  do  not  want  to  issue  a  document  that  the  whole 
world  will  see  must  necessarily  be  inoperative,  like  the 
Pope's  bull  against  the  comet." 

After  some  discussion,  however,  he  assured  them 
that  "the  subject  was  upon  his  mind  night  and  day, 
more  than  any  other;"  and  he  added,  ** Whatever  shall 
appear  to  be  God's  will,  I  will  do." 

He  called  a  special  Cabinet  meeting  two  or  three 
weeks  before  the  battle  of  Antietam,  and  announced 
to  the  members  :  — 

"I  have  prepared  a  proclamation  of  emancipation, 
believing  that  the  time  has  come  to  issue  it.     I  have 


HIS  WORK  FOR    THE   COLORED  RACE.      4^3 


not  called  you  together  for  advice  on  the  general  sub- 
ject, for  I  have  settled  that,  I  simply  desire  to  inform 
you  of  my  purpose,  and  receive  such  suggestions  as 
you  may  make." 

The  members  were  somewhat  surprised,  but  ex- 
pressed a  strong  desire  to  hear  it  read.  The  President 
proceeded  to  read  it  in  a  slow,  clear  voice,  evidently 
impressed  with  the  grave  responsibility  he  was  taking 
upon  himself.  When  he  had  finished  reading  the 
document,  and  opened  the  way  for  suggestions,  Secre- 
tary Chase  remarked : 

''  I  would  like  to  have  the  language  stronger  with 
reference  to  drming  the  blacks." 

*T  think  it  is  bad  policy  to  issue  it  now,"  said  the 
Attorney  General.  "It  will  cost  the  administration 
the  fall  elections."  It  was  then  about  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember, 1862. 

*'A11  these  questions  I  have  carefully  considered, 
gentlemen,"  was  Mr.  Lincoln's  response. 

Secretary  Seward  remarked,  at  this  point :  — 

*'Mr.  President,  I  approve  of  the  proclamation,  but 
I  question  the  expediency  of  its  issue  at  this  juncture. 
The  depression  of  the  public  mind  consequent  upon 
our  repeated  reverses  is  so  great  that  I  fear  the  effect 
of  so  important  a  step.  It  may  be  viewed  as  the  last 
measure  of  an  exhausted  government — a  cry  for  help 
—  the  government  stretching  forth  its  hand  to  Ethio- 
pia, instead  of  Ethiopia  stretching  forth  its  hand  to 
the  government  —  our  last  shriek  on  the  retreat.  I 
think  it  would  be  best  to  delay  it  until  it  can  be  given 
to  the  country  supported  by  military  success,  rather 
than  after  the  greatest  disasters  of  the  war." 


414       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

''That  is  a  thought  that  has  not  occurred  to  me/* 
immediately  replied  the  President,  "I  shall  adopt  the 
suggestion  at  once,  and  await  a  signal  victory." 

Before  the  discussion  ceased,  however,  Secretary 
Seward  made  another  suggestion  :  — 

"  Mr.  President,  I  think  that  you  should  insert,  after 
the  word  'recognize,'  the  words  'and  maintain.'" 

"  I  have  fully  considered  the  import  of  that  expres- 
sion," answered  Mr.  Lincoln;  "but  it  is  not  my  way 
to  promise  more  than  I  am  sure  I  can  perform,  and  I 
am  not  prepared  to  say  that  I  can  'maintain '  this." 

"  Nevertheless  that  ground  should  be  taken,"  con- 
tinued the  Secretary.  "The  dignity  of  the  government 
and  the  completeness  of  the  proclamation  require  it." 

After  a  moment  of  serious  thoughtfulness,  the  Presi- 
dent responded,  "  You  are  right,  Seward,  and  the  words 
shall  go  in." 

The  proclamation  was  laid  aside  until  the  battle  of 
Antietam  was  fought.  Mr.  Lincoln  waited  until  he 
was  satisfied  that  a  valuable  victory  had  been  achieved, 
when  he  called  the  Cabinet  together  again,  at  a  special 
meeting,  and  announced:  — 

"  The  time  has  come  for  emancipation  to  be  declared ; 
it  cannot  longer  be  delayed.  Public  sentiment  will  now 
sustain  it,  many  of  my  warmest  friends  and  supporters 
demand  it,  and  I  promised  my  God  I  would  do  it'' 

The  last  sentence  was  not  quite  understood  by  Sec- 
retary Chase,  who  asked  for  an  explanation.  Mr. 
Lincoln  replied:  — 

"  /  made  a  solcinn  vow  before  God,  that  if  General 
Lee  was  driven  back  from  Peiinsylvania,  I  would  erown 
the  result  by  the  declaration  of  freedom  to  the  slave'' 


HIS  WORK  FOR   THE  COLORED  RACE.     415 

The  Cabinet  unanimously  endorsed  the  President's 
decision,  and  the  proclamation  was  issued  September 
22,  1862,  promising,  "  That  on  the  first  day  of  January, 
in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  sixty-three,  all  persons  held  as  slaves  within  any 
State,  or  any  designated  part  of  a  State,  the  people 
whereof  shall  then  be  in  rebellion  against  the  United 
States,  shall  be  then,  thenceforward  and  forever,  free ; 
and  the  executive  government  of  the  United  States, 
including  the  military  and  naval  authority  thereof,  will 
recognize  and  maintain  the  freedom  of  such  persons, 
and  will  do  no  act  or  acts  to  repress  such  persons,  or 
any  of  them,  in  any  efforts  they  may  make  for  their 
actual  freedom." 

This  proclamation  offended  many  anti-slavery  friends 
at  the  North,  who  wanted  the  President  to  strike  an 
immediate  and  fatal  blow  at  the  institution,  without 
warning  or  conditions.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  sub- 
sequent events  caused  them,  and  the  civilized  world,  to 
concur  in  the  President's  judgment  of  the  best  method, 
in  the  circumstances.  At  the  South,  the  excitement 
over  the  proclamation  of  promised  freedom  was  intense, 
and  the  Rebel  Congress  enacted  some  violent  threats. 
But  the  one  hundred  days  of  grace  passed  by,  and  the 
memorable  first  day  of  January,  1863,  arrived,  bringing 
the  Proclamation  of  Emancipation,  which  deserves 
the  highest  place  in  the  temple  of  American  liberty. 
It  merits  the  careful  perusal  of  every  citizen  of  the 
United  States,  old  and  young,  and  commends  itself  to 
the  friends  of  humanity  in  every  land. 

President  Lincoln  signed  the  Proclamation  after  his 
public  reception  on  January  first,  1863.  Mr.  Colfax 
remarked  to  him,  — 


4l6       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"The  signature  appears  somewhat  tremulous  and 
uneven." 

"  Not  because  of  any  uncertainty  or  hesitation  on 
my  part,"  answered  the  President ;  "  but  it  was  just 
after  the  public  reception,  and  three  hours*  hand- 
shaking is  not  calculated  to  improve  a  man's  chi- 
rography.  The  South  had  fair  warning,  that  if  they 
did  not  return  to  their  duty,  I  should  strike  at  this  pillar 
of  their  strength.  The  promise  must  now  be  kept, 
and  I  shall  never  recall  one  word." 

Mr.  Carpenter's  noble  conception  of  a  painting  to 
commemorate  the  act  of  Emancipation  enlisted  the 
President's  deepest  interest.  When  the  work  was 
nearly  completed,  the  artist  remarked  to  him, — 

"  I  am  very  proud  to  have  been  the  artist  to  have 
first  conceived  the  idea  of  the  design  of  painting  a 
picture  commemorative  of  the  Act  of  Emancipation." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  President,  "as  affairs  have 
turned,  it  is  the  central  act  of  my  administration,  and 
the  great  event  of  the  nineteenth  century." 

When  Mr.  Carpenter's  work  was  done,  and  he  was 
about  to  take  leave  of  the  White  House,  the  President 
said,  — 

"  Well,  Mr.  Carpenter,  I  must  go  with  you  and  take 
one  more  look  at  the  picture  before  you  leave  us." 

The  parting  interview  with  the  artist  before  the 
picture  was  very  interesting;  and  President  Lincoln 
closed  it  in  his  familiar  way,  by  saying :  — 

"  Mr.  Carpenter,  I  believe  that  I  am  about  as  glad 
over  the  success  of  this  work  as  you  are." 

This  chapter  would  be  incomplete  without  the 
Proclamation  of  Emancipation,  which  must  ever  be  a 


HIS  WORK  FOR   THE   COLORED  RACE.      417 

memorable   document    in    the   future   history   of   our 
country.     We  furnish  it  complete  :  — 

"  Whereas,  on  the  twenty-second  day  of  September,  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-two,  a  pro- 
clamation was  issued  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  con- 
taining, among  other  things,  the  following,  to  wit : 

"  That  on  the  first  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three,  all  persons  held  as  slaves 
within  any  State,  or  designated  part  of  a  State,  the  people  whereof 
shall  then  be  in  rebelHon  against  the  United  States,  shall  be 
then,  thenceforth  and  forever  free,  and  the  Executive  Govern- 
ment of  the  United  States,  including  the  military  and  naval 
authorities  thereof,  will  recognize  and  maintain  the  freedom  of 
such  persons,  and  will  do  no  act  or  acts  to  repress  such  persons, 
or  any  of  them,  in  any  efforts  they  may  make  for  their  actual 
freedom. 

"  That  the  Executive  will,  on  the  first  day  of  January  afore- 
said, by  proclamation,  designate  the  States  and  parts  of  States, 
if  any,  in  which  the  people  therein  respectively  shall  then  be  in 
rebellion  against  the  United  States,  and  the  fact  that  any  State, 
or  the  people  thereof,  shall  on  that  day  be  in  good  faith  repre- 
sented in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  by  members  chosen 
thereto,  at  elections  wherein  a  majority  of  the  qualified  voters 
of  such  States  shall  have  participated,  shall,  in  the  absence  of 
strong  countervailing  testimony,  be  deemed  conclusive  evidence 
that  such  State  or  the  people  thereof  are  not  then  in  rebellion 
against  the  United  States." 

"  Now,  therefore,  I,  Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of  the  United 
States,  by  virtue  of  the  power  in  me  vested  as  Commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Army  and  Navy  of  the  United  States  in  time  of  ac- 
tual armed  rebellion  against  the  authority  and  Government  of  the 
United  States,  and  as  a  fit  and  necessary  war  measure  for  sup- 
pressing said  rebellion,  do,  on  this  first  day  of  January,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three, 
and  in  accordance  with  my  purpose  so  to  do,  publicly  proclaimed 
for  the  full  period  of  one  hundred  days  from  the  day  of  the  first 
above-mentioned  order,  designate,  as   the   States  and  parts  of 


41 8       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

States  wherein  the  people  thereof  respectively  are  this  day  in  re- 
bellion against  the  United  States,  the  following,  to  wit :  Arkansas, 
Texas,  Louisiana,  except  the  parishes  of  St.  Bernard,  Plaque- 
mines, Jefferson,  St.  John,  St.  Charles,  St.  James,  Ascension, 
Assumption,  Terre  Bonne,  Lafourche,  St.  Mary,  St.  Martin  and 
Orleans,  including  the  City  of  New  Orleans,  Mississippi,  Ala- 
bama, Florida,  Georgia,  South  Carolina,  North  Carolina,  and 
Virginia,  except  the  forty-eight  counties  designated  as  West  Vir- 
ginia, and  also  the  counties  of  Berkeley,  Accomac,  Northampton, 
Elizabeth  City,  York,  Princess  Ann,  and  Norfolk,  including  the 
cities  of  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth,  and  which  excepted  parts  are, 
for  the  present,  left  precisely  as  if  this  proclamation  were  not  issued. 

"  And  by  virtue  of  the  power,  and  for  the  purpose  aforesaid,  I 
do  order  and  declare  that  all  persons  held  as  slaves  within  said 
designated  States,  and  parts  of  States,  are,  and  henceforward 
shall  be  free  ;  and  that  the  Executive  Government  of  the  United 
States,  including  the  Military  and  Naval  authorities  thereof,  will 
recognize  and  maintain  the  freedom  of  such  persons. 

"  And  I  hereby  enjoin  upon  the  people  so  declared  to  be  free, 
to  abstain  from  all  violence,  unless  in  necessary  self-defence,  and 
I  recommend  to  them  that  in  all  cases,  when  allowed,  they  labor 
faithfully  for  reasonable  wages. 

"  And  I  further  declare  and  make  known  that  such  persons  of 
suitable  condition  will  be  received  into  the  armed  service  of  the 
United  States  to  garrison  forts,  positions,  stations,  and  other 
places,  and  to  man  vessels  of  all  sorts  in  said  service. 

"  And  upon  this,  sincerely  believed  to  be  an  act  of  justice,  war- 
ranted by  the  Constitution,  upon  military  necessity,  I  invoke  the 
considerate  judgment  of  mankind  and  the  gracious  favor  of  Al- 
mighty God. 

"In  witness  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand,  and  caused 
the  seal  of  the  United  States  to  be  affixed. 

'*  Done  at  the  City  of  Washington,  this  first  day  of 
January,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight 

L  '    'J      hundred  and  sixty-three,  and  of  the  Independence  of 
the  United  States  of  America  the  eighty-seventh." 

"  By  the  President  :  "  Aijraham  Lincoln. 

"William  H.  Seward,  Secretary  of  Slate.'^ 


HIS  WORK  FOR    THE   COLORED  RACE.      419 

Speaker  Colfax  said  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  procla- 
mation, when  the  great  man  died:  — 

"  The  great  act  of  the  mighty  chieftain,  on  which  his 
fame  shall  rest  long  after  his  frame  shall  moulder  away, 
is  that  of  giving  freedom  to  a  race.  We  have  all  been 
taught  to  revere  the  sacred  characters.  Among  them 
Moses  stands  pre-eminently  high.  He  received  the  law 
from  God,  and  his  name  is  honored  among  the  hosts  of 
heaven.  Was  not  his  greatest  act  the  delivering  three 
millions  of  his  kindred  out  of  bondage  }  Yet  we  may 
assert  that  Abraham  Lincoln,  by  his  proclamation, 
liberated  more  enslaved  people  than  ever  Moses  set 
free,  and  those  not  of  his  kindred  or  his  race.  Such  a 
power,  or  such  an  opportunity,  God  has  seldom  given 
to  man.  When  other  events  shall  have  been  forgot- 
ten ;  when  this  world  shall  have  become  a  network  of 
republics ;  when  every  throne  shall  be  swept  from  the 
face  of  the  earth ;  when  literature  shall  enlighten  all 
minds ;  when  the  claims  of  humanity  shall  be  recog- 
nized everywhere,  this  act  shall  be  conspicuous  on  the 
pages  of  history.  We  are  thankful  that  God  gave  to 
Abraham  Lincoln  wisdom  and  grace  to  issue  that 
proclamation,  which  stands  high  above  all  other  papers 
which  have  been  penned  by  uninspired  men." 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

STILL   IN  THE   WHITE   HOUSE. 

|R.  LINCOLN  was  renominated  for  a  second 
term  in  the  summer  of  1864.  There  were 
not  wanting  leaders  who  opposed  his  re- 
nomination.  He  was  too  slow  and  too  kind 
to  suit  them.  But  their  opposition  was  short-lived. 
When  the  National  Convention  assembled  in  Balti- 
more, the  current  of  enthusiasm  for  Mr.  Lincoln  swept 
away  all  opposition.  Intelligence  from  the  army  proved 
that  one  feeling  pervaded  the  rank  and  file,  —  the 
"  boys  "  demanded  the  renomination  of  "  Father  Abra- 
ham." The  colonel  of  a  regiment  on  the  Potomac,  in 
which  were  many  Democrats,  reported  a  conversation 
among  his  men,  as  follows  :  — 

''Who  a.TQ  j/o^i  for,  Joe.^"  inquired  one  of  a  Demo- 
crat. 

"Father  Abraham,  of  course ;  a  new  man  would  up- 
set things,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Who  knows  but  a  new  man  might  hurry  up  the 
end  of  this  Rebellion!"  interjected  another. 

'*  But  we  know  who  we  have  now  for  President,"  re- 
sponded the  Democrat ;  "but  when  you  have  a  new  man 
you  must  wait  to  find  out." 


STILL  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  42 1 

"That's  so,"  loudly  answered  a  comrade  •  "no  time 
for  an  armistice  now." 

"  Soldiers  think  too  much  of  Lincoln  to  swap  him  off 
now  for  somebody  else,"  remarked  another. 

And  so  the  discussion  proceeded,  until  a  German, 
who  had  remained  a  silent  listener,  spoke : 

"  I  goes  for  Fader  Abraham,"  he  said.  "  Fader  Abra- 
ham, he  likes  the  soldier-boy.  Ven  he  serves  tree 
years  he  gives  him  four  hundred  dollar,  and  re-enlists 
him  von  veteran.  Now  Fader  Abraham,  he  serve  four 
years.  We  re-enlist  him  four  years  more,  and  make 
von  veteran  of  J  dm  ^ 

The  German  settled  the  question  in  that  regiment ; 
and  it  was  about  a  fair  representation  of  the  feeling 
throughout  the  Union  army. 

In  the  convention,  the  votes  of  every  State  except 
Missouri  were  cast  for  Mr.  Lincoln.  Her  twenty-two 
votes  were  cast  for  General  Grant,  but,  immediately 
upon  the  announcement  of  the  ballot,  they  were  trans- 
ferred to  Mr.  Lincoln. 

In  less  than  two  months  after  his  renomination,  the 
President  resolved  to  issue  a  call  for  five  hundred 
thousand  more  troops.  On  laying  the  subject  before 
his  Cabinet,  objections  were  provoked  at  once. 

"  It  will  prove  disastrous,"  said  one. 

"  It  will  defeat  your  re-election,  Mr.  President,"  sug- 
gested another. 

"  It  will  furnish  material  for  your  enemies  to  use 
against  you ;  the  people  are  tired  of  the  war,"  added 
the  first-named  speaker. 

For  quite  a  while  the  measure  was  discussed  ;  and 
the  President  listened  with  his  accustomed  deference, 


422       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

occasionally  dropping  a  word.  At  length,  however,  he 
settled  the  matter  beyond  controversy.  Rising  from 
his  seat,  and  assuming  that  commanding  attitude  so 
usual  when  he  was  about  to  make  a  noble  stand,  he 
remarked,  with  profound  seriousness,  as  well  as  em- 
phasis : — 

"  Gentlemen,  it  is  not  necessary  that  I  should  be 
re-elected,  but  it  is  necessary  that  our  brave  boys  at 
the  front  should  be  supported,  and  the  country  saved. 
I  shall  call  for  five  hundred  thousand  more  men,  and 
if  I  go  down  under  the  measure,  I  will  go  down  like 
the  *  Cumberland'  with  my  colors  flying." 

God  crowned  his  noble  decision  with  success.  He 
did  not  go  down  like  the  "  Cumberland"  or  any  other 
riddled  gunboat.  Opposition  hid  itself  before  the  on- 
ward march  of  his  popularity.  He  was  re-elected  by 
the  largest  majority  ever  known  in  presidential  elec- 
tions. His  popular  majority  was  411,428,  in  a  total 
vote  of  4,015,902;  and  he  had  212  of  the  233  votes  in 
the  electoral  college.  On  being  publicly  congratulated 
upon  this  emphatic  endorsement.  President  Lincoln 
said :  — 

''  I  am  thankful  to  God  for  this  approval  of  the  peo- 
ple. But,  while  deeply  grateful  for  this  mark  of  their 
confidence  in  me,  if  I  know  my  heart,  my  gratitude  is 
free  from  any  taint  of  personal  triumph.  I  do  not  im- 
pugn the  motives  of  any  one  opposed  to  me.  It  is  no 
pleasure  to  me  to  triumph  over  any  one  ;  but  I  give 
thanks  to  the  Almighty  for  this  evidence  of  the  peo- 
ple's resolution  to  stand  by  free  government,  and  the 
rights  of  humanity." 

The  re-election  of  President  Lincoln  was  equal  to 


STILL  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  423 

the  addition  of  five  hundred  thousand  more  soldiers  to 
the  Union  army.  It  destroyed  tlie  last  hope  of  the 
Rebellion.  It  was  staggering  when  the  day  of  the 
election  arrived ;  and  from  that  time  its  fall  was  rapidly 
accelerated. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  March,  1865,  his  second  inaugur- 
ation as  President  of  the  United  States  occurred.  A 
great  concourse  of  people  witnessed  the  imposing  cere- 
monies, and  listened  to  his  remarkable  inaugural  ad- 
dress. According  to  the  national  custom,  Mr.  Lincoln 
kissed  the  open  Bible,  after  having  taken  the  oath  of 
office.  Mr.  Middleton,  who  passed  the  Bible  to  him, 
instantly  marked  the  verses  touched  by  the  President's 
lips.  They  were  the  26th  and  27th  verses  of  the 
Fifth  chapter  of  Isaiah,  and  read  as  follows  : — 

"And  he  will  lift  up  an  ensign  to  the  nations,  and  will  hiss 
unto  them  from  the  end  of  the  earth  ;  and,  behold,  they  shall 
come  with  speed  swiftly  ;  none  shall  be  weary  nor  stumble  among 
them  ;  none  shall  slumber  nor  sleep  ;  neither  shall  the  girdle  of 
their  loins  be  loosed,  nor  the  latchet  of  their  shoes  be  broken." 

The  speedy  overthrow  of  the  Rebellion  furnished  a 
remarkable  interpretation  of  these  words ;  and  they 
are  choice  words  of  prophecy  to  be  forever  associated 
with  President  Lincoln's  memory. 

His  inaugural  address  on  that  occasion  has  been  de- 
clared to  be  the  most  remarkable  State  paper  extant. 

It  has  often  been  classed  with  the  "  Farewell  Ad- 
dress" of  Washington  ;  as  it  proved,  indeed,  the  fare- 
well address  of  Lincoln  to  the  American  people.  And 
as  Washington's  life  would  be  incomplete  without  the 
former,  so  Lincoln's  life  would  lack  an  essential  fact 


424       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

without  the  latter.     The  address  was  brief,  direct,  and 
affecting,  as  follows  :  — 

Fellow-Countrymen,  —  At  this  second  appearing  to  take  the 
oath  of  the  presidential  office,  there  is  less  occasion  for  an  ex- 
tended address  than  there  was  at  first.  Then,  a  statement,  some- 
what in  detail,  of  a  course  to  be  pursued,  seemed  fitting  and  proper. 
Now,  at  the  expiration  of  four  years,  during  which  public  declara- 
tions have  been  constantly  called  forth  on  every  point  and  phase 
of  the  great  contest  which  still  absorbs  the  attention  and  engrosses 
the  energies  of  the  nation,  little  that  is  new  could  be  presented. 
The  progress  of  our  arms,  upon  which  all  else  chiefly  depends,  is 
as  well  known  to  the  public  as  to  myself;  and  it  is,  I  trust,  reason- 
ably satisfactory  and  encouraging  to  all.  With  high  hope  for  the 
future,  no  prediction  in  regard  to  it  is  ventured. 

On  the  occasion  corresponding  to  this  four  years  ago,  all 
thoughts  were  anxiously  directed  to  an  impending  civil  war.  All 
dreaded  it  —  all  sought  to  avert  it.  While  the  inaugural  address 
was  being  delivered  from  this  place,  devoted  altogether  to  savt?ig 
the  Union  without  war,  insurgent  agents  were  in  the  city  seeking 
to  destfoy  it  without  war  —  seeking  to  dissolve  the  Union  and 
divide  effects  by  negotiation.  Both  parties  deprecated  war ;  but 
one  of  them  would  7nake  war  rather  than  let  the  nation  survive  ; 
and  the  other  would  accept  war  rather  than  let  it  perish.  And 
the  war  came. 

One-eighth  of  the  whole  population  were  colored  slaves,  not 
distributed  generally  over  the  Union,  but  localized  in  the  southern 
part  of  it.  These  slaves  constituted  a  peculiar  and  powerful 
interest  All  knew  that  this  interest  was,  somehow,  the  cause  of 
the  war.  To  strengthen,  perpetuate,  and  extend  this  interest  was 
the  object  for  which  the  insurgents  would  rend  the  Union,  even 
by  war  ;  while  the  government  claimed  no  right  to  do  more  than 
to  restrict  the  territorial  enlargement  of  it.  Neither  party  ex- 
pected for  the  war  the  magnitude  or  the  duration  which  it  has 
already  attained.  Neither  anticipated  that  the  cause  of  the  con- 
flict might  cease  with,  or  even  before,  the  conflict  itself  should 
cease.  Each  looked  for  an  easier  triumph,  and  a  result  less 
fundamental  and  astounding.      Both  read   the  same  Bible  and 


STILL  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  425 

pray  to  the  same  God ;  and  each  invokes  his  aid  against  the 
other.  It  may  seem  strange  that  any  men  should  dare  to  ask  a 
just  God's  assistance  in  wringing  their  bread  from  the  sweat  of 
other  men's  faces  ;  but  let  us  judge  not,  that  we  be  not  judged. 
The  prayers  of  both  could  not  be  answered  —  that  of  neither  has 
been  answered  fully.  The  Almighty  has  His  own  purposes. 
"  Woe  unto  the  world  because  of  offences  !  for  it  must  needs  be 
that  offences  come ;  but  woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the  offence 
Cometh."  If  we  shall  suppose  that  American  slavery  is  one  of 
those  offences  which,  in  the  Providence  of  God,  must  needs  come, 
but  which,  having  continued  through  His  appointed  time,  He  now 
wills  to  remove,  and  that  he  gives  to  both  North  and  South  this 
terrible  war  as  the  woe  due  to  those  by  whom  the  offence  came, 
shall  we  discern  therein  any  departure  from  those  divine  attri- 
butes which  the  believers  in  a  living  God  always  ascribe  to  Him  ? 
Fondly  do  we  hope  —  fervently  do  we  pray  —  that  this  mighty 
scourge  of  war  may  speedily  pass  away.  Yet,  if  God  wills  that  it 
continue  until  all  the  wealth  piled  by  the  bondman's  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  of  unrequited  toil  shall  be  sunk,  and  until  every  drop 
of  blood  drawn  by  the  lash  shall  be  paid  by  another  drawn  with  the 
sword,  as  was  said  three  thousand  years  ago,  so  still  it  must  be  said, 
*'  The  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether." 

With  malice  toward  none  ;  with  charity  for  all ;  with  firmness 
in  the  right,  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  to  finish 
the  work  we  are  engaged  in  ;  to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds  ;  to 
care  for  him  who  shall  have  borne  the  battle,  and  for  his  widow 
and  his  orphan  —  to  do  all  which  may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just 
and  lasting  peace  among  ourselves,  and  with  all  nations. 

Charles  Sumner  said  of  this  address  :  "  The  Inaugu- 
ral Address  which  signaHzed  his  entry  for  a  second 
time  upon  his  great  duties  was  briefer  than  any  similar 
address  in  our  history  ;  but  it  has  already  gone  farther, 
and  will  live  longer,  than  any  other.  It  was  a  continu- 
ation of  the  Gettysburg  speech,  with  the  same  sublimity 
and  gentleness.  Its  concluding  words  were  like  an 
angelic  benediction." 


4^6       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  subject  of  Civil  Service  Reform,  which  provokes 
so  much  discussion  at  the  present  time,  engaged  the 
attention  of  Mr.  Lincoln  at  the  time  he  entered  upon 
the  second  term  of  his  presidential  career.  He  re- 
marked to  Senator  Clark  of  New  Hampshire  :  — 

"  Can't  you  and  others  start  a  public  sentiment  in 
favor  of  making  no  changes  in  offices  except  for  good 
and  sufficient  cause  .^" 

*'  It  would  be  an  excellent  measure,"  answered  the 
senator.  "  You  would  remove  or  appoint  no  one  for 
party  considerations  alone  ?  " 

"  Exactly.  It  seems  as  though  the  bare  thought  of 
going  through  again  what  I  did  the  first  year  here, 
would  crush  me." 

"  I  am  not  surprised  to  hear  that  remark,"  continued 
Mr.  Clark.  ''  Nine-tenths  of  your  callers  are  office- 
seekers,  or  persons  without  any  important  business." 

"  Besides,  it  is  all  wrong  to  remove  public  servants 
who  deserve  to  be  retained,  for  the  sake  of  promoting 
politicians  who  have  done  well  for  their  party."  Then, 
referring  to  applicants  for  office,  he  added,  "  It  seems  as 
if  every  visitor  darted  at  me,  and,  with  thumb  and 
finger,  carried  off  a  portion  of  my  vitality." 

The  senator  laughed  over  this  figure  of  a  "  carcass,'* 
carried  off  by  birds  of  prey ;  and  the  President  went 
on :  — 

**  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  make  very  few  changes 
in  the  offices  in  my  gift  for  my  second  term.  I  think 
now  that  I  will  not  remove  a  single  man,  except  for 
delinquency.  To  remove  a  man  is  very  easy,  but  when 
I  go  to  fill  his  place,  there  are  twenty  applicants,  and 
of  these  I  must  make  nineteen  enemies." 


STTLL  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  427 

Senator  Clark  endorsed  these  sentiments  as  belong- 
ing to  true  statesmanship,  and  hoped  that  the  President 
would  be  able  to  reduce  his  theory  to  practice.  The 
latter  closed  the  interview  with  the  following  rather 
sharp  remark :  — 

**  Sitting  here,  where  all  the  avenues  to  public  patron- 
age seem  to  come  together  in  a  knot,  it  does  seem  to 
me  that  our  people  are  fast  approaching  the  point  where 
it  can  be  said  that  seven-eighths  of  them  are  trying  to 
find  how  to  live  at  the  expense  of  the  other  eighth." 

Three  weeks  after  Mr.  Lincoln  entered  upon  his 
second  term  of  office,  he  went  to  City  Point,  partly  to 
recruit  his  wasted  energies,  and  partly  to  be  near  the 
base  of  military  operations  now  hastening  to  a  crisis. 
The  "boys  in  blue"  greeted  him  with  an  enthusiasm 
that  showed  their  strong  love  for  the  man. 

A  grand  review  had  been  arranged  for  the  twenty- 
fifth  of  March,  in  honor  of  the  President ;  but  General 
Lee  attacked  and  captured  Fort  Stedman,  on  that 
morning,  requiring  a  hard-fought  battle,  instead  of  a 
review,  to  drive  out  his  forces  —  a  feat  that  was 
triumphantly  accomplished  within  a  few  hours.  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  visited  the  field  of  carnage  soon  after  the 
battle,  and,  on  hearing  regrets  expressed  that  the  grand 
review  did  not  occur,  he  said,  — 

*'This  victory  is  better  than  any  review." 

Immediately  a  council  of  war  was  held  at  City  Point, 
attended  by  the  President  and  Generals  Grant,  Sher- 
man, Sheridan,  Meade,  and  Ord ;  and  it  was  followed 
by  those  three  memorable  days  of  battle,  Friday,  Satur- 
day, and  Sunday,  sealing  the  doom  of  Richmond. 

Mr.  Lincoln  remained  at  City  Point,  receiving  dis- 


428       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

patches  from  the  front  and  forwarding  them  to  Wash- 
ington. His  first  dispatch  to  the  Secretary  of  War 
on  Saturday  was,  — 

"  Hard  fighting  this  morning,  and  our  forces  repulsed." 

A  few  hours  later,  he  telegraphed,  — 

"  The  ground  lost  has  been  retaken." 

On  Sunday  morning  his  dispatch  was,  — 

"  The  triumphant  success  of  our  armies,  after  two  days  of  hard 
fighting,  during  which  the  forces  on  both  sides  displayed  unsur- 
passed valor." 

In  the  afternoon  he  telegraphed, — 

"  General  Grant  has  taken  twelve  thousand  prisoners  and  fifty 
pieces  of  artillery." 

On  Monday  morning  he  telegraphed, — 

*'  Richmond  has  fallen ! " 

Later,  his  dispatch  to  Secretary  Stanton  read, — 

"  I  am  about  to  enter  Richmond  !  " 

The  Secretary  immediately  telegraphed  back,  — 

"  Do  not  peril  your  life  in  that  way  ! " 

The  next  morning  he  returned  the  following :  — 

"  I  received  your  dispatch  yesterday  ;  went  to  Richmond,  and 
returned  this  morning." 

This  was  not  reckless  daring  on  his  part,  but  his 
philosophical  way  of  viewing  the  danger,  as  we  shall 
learn  more  particularly  in  the  next  chapter. 

On  Monday,  President  Lincoln  entered  the  fallen 
city  without  parade.  Usually,  conquerors  have  taken 
possession  of  captured  cities  and  fallen  thrones  with 


STILL  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  429 

the  proudest  display  of  exultation,  bearing  along  with 
them  the  trophies  of  war.  But  true  to  himself,  Mr. 
Lincoln  found  it  more  congenial  to  his  heart  to  enter 
the  subdued  rebel  capital  without  even  fife  or  drum. 
Unheralded  by  brilliant  cavalcade,  he  threaded  his  way 
as  a  common  man  through  the  streets  to  the  head- 
quarters of  Jefferson  Davis,  who  had  become  a  volun- 
tary fugitive.  And  though  he  took  possession  of  the 
traitor-city  without  ostentation  or  military  parade, 
history  records  his  entrance  as  a  triumphal  march, 
and  patriot  fathers  tell  the  story  of  it  to  their  children 
in  honor  of  Lincoln's  greatness. 

President  Lincoln  remained  in  Richmond  until 
Tuesday  morning,  occupying  the  house  so  uncere- 
moniously vacated  by  the  arch-traitor  of  the  Rebel- 
lion. The  loyal  people  trembled  for  his  safety  when 
they  heard  he  was  there.  Many  pronounced  his  going 
to  Richmond  "  a  foolhardy  act."  All  deprecated  his 
unnecessary  exposure  of  life,  as  they  regarded  it,  and 
were  greatly  relieved  when  the  telegraph  informed 
them  that  he  was  back  again  in  Washington. 

Speaker  Colfax  expostulated  with  him  upon  his 
seeming  disregard  of  danger,  to  which  the  President 
replied :  — 

"  I  should  have  been  alarmed  myself  if  any  other 
person  had  been  President  and  gone  there ;  but  I  did 
not  feel  in  any  danger  whatever." 

Before  reaching  Washington,  on  his  return,  he 
read  aloud  twice  from  his  copy  of  Shakespeare  the 
words  which  Macbeth  uttered  about  the  murdered 
Duncan,  calling  the  special  attention  of  his  friends  to 
them : — 


430       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

"  Duncan  is  in  his  grave  ; 
After  life's  fitful  fever,  he  sleeps  well ; 
Treason  has  done  his  worst ;  nor  steel,  nor  poison, 
Mahce  domestic,  foreign  levy,  nothing, 
Can  touch  him  further." 

The  friends  who  listened  to  his  remarks  upon  this 
striking  passage  could  but  recall  the  singular  circum- 
stances, after  his  assassination. 

The  fall  of  Richmond  was  celebrated  throughout  the 
North  and  West  by  bonfires,  illuminations,  speeches, 
music,  ringing  of  bells,  and  general  rejoicing.  Every- 
where Mr.  Lincoln  was  remembered  and  eulogized  for 
his  wisdom,  patriotism  and  achievements. 

Just  one  week  from  the  time  the  news  of  the  fall  of 
Richmond  was  flashed  over  the  land,  the  tidings  of 
Lee's  surrender  at  Appomattox  Court-house  followed, 
magnifying  the  general  joy  tenfold,  if  possible.  The 
war  was  ended,  and  Constitutional  Liberty  maintained. 
Over  the  western  portico  of  the  Capitol  at  Washing- 
ton was  inscribed,  with  a  beautiful  banner  waving 
over  it :  — 

"This  is  the  Lord's  doing;  it  is  marvellous  in 

OUR   EYES." 

Over  the  door  of  the  State  Department  was  the  fol- 
lowing :  — 

"The  Union  saved  by  faith  in  the  Constitu- 
tion, FAITH  IN  THE  PEOPLE,  AND  TRUST  IN  GOD." 

The  day  of  jubilee  had  come  —  "  the  greatest  day," 
said  one,  "since  the  Resurrection." 

The  welcome  news  of  "  Peace  "  spread  over  the  land 
with  the  rapidity  of  light,  and  flashed  under  the  ocean 
to  foreign  countries,  where  glad  millions  joined  in  fes- 


STILL  IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  43 1 

tivities  over  the  end  of  the  conflict  and  the  triumph 
of  freedom.  As  when  CornwalUs  surrendered,  and  the 
War  of  Independence  was  over,  the  people  became 
wild  with  joy  ;  so  the  news  —  Lee  has  surrendered 
• — awaked  almost  frantic  demonstrations  of  delight. 
All  modes  of  expressing  exultation  were  inadequate, 
and  yet  all  were  employed.  Sextons  rushed  to  the 
churches  to  ring  the  bells ;  gunners  added  the  peal  of 
cannon  ;  acquaintances  met  in  the  streets  and  em- 
braced each  other ;  some  wept,  others  laughed,  all 
were  jubilant.  Never  before  were  so  many  bells  rung 
together,  so  many  cannon  fired,  so  many  shouts  of 
victory  raised,  so  many  bands  of  music  waked,  so 
many  banners  waved,  and  so  many  bonfires  and  illu- 
minations kindled,  to  celebrate  the  return  of  peace  and 
the  nation  saved. 

The  praise  of  Lincoln  was  on  every  lip,  and  has  con- 
tinued to  be  from  that  day  to  the  present  time.  The 
nation  delights  to  honor  his  memory,  and  one  of  the  re- 
cent acts  of  the  National  Government  is  a  tribute  to  his 
memory  by  a  generous  increase  of  his  widow's  pension. 

Mr.  Lincoln  had  accomplished  the  purpose  of  his 
administration  —  he   had   crushed   the  Rebellion 

AND    saved    the    UnION. 

Charles  Sumner  said  of  President  Lincoln's  adminis- 
tration :  "  The  comer-stone  of  National  Independence 
is  already  in  its  place,  and  on  it  is  inscribed  the  name  of 
George  Washington.  There  is  another  stone  which 
must  have  its  place  at  the  corner  also.  This  is  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  with  all  its  promises  ful- 
filled. On  this  stone  we  will  gratefully  inscribe  the 
name  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


432       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Each  was  at  the  head  of  the  Republic  during  a 
period  of  surpassing  trial ;  and  each  thought  only  of 
the  public  good,  simply,  purely,  constantly,  so  that 
single-hearted  devotion  to  country  will  always  find  a 
synonym  in  their  names.  Each  was  the  national  chief 
during  a  time  of  successful  war.  Each  was  the  repre- 
sentative of  his  country  at  a  great  epoch  of  history. 

**  The  part  which  Lincoln  was  called  upon  to  per- 
form resembled  in  character  the  part  which  was  per- 
formed by  Washington.  The  work  left  undone  by 
Washington  was  continued  by  Lincoln.  Kindred  in 
service,  kindred  in  patriotism,  each  was  naturally  sur- 
rounded at  death  by  kindred  homage." 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 
SHOT   OF  THE  ASSASSIN. 

ROM  the  time  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  nomination 
for  the  Presidency,  as  we  have  seen,  fears 
of  his  assassination  prevailed  among  his 
friends.  The  President  himself  had  reason 
to  believe  that  he  was  in  danger  of  being  shot,  for  he 
had  a  package  of  threatening  letters,  which  he  had  ap- 
propriately labelled,  "  Assassination  Letters,"  and  laid 
away.  His  attention  was  often  called  to  the  subject 
by  anxious  friends.  On  being  remonstrated  with  for 
unnecessarily  exposing  himself,  he  replied,  without 
denying  his  danger:  — 

"  Soon  after  I  was  nominated  at  Chicago,  I  began 
to  receive  letters  threatening  my  life.  The  first  one 
or  two  made  me  a  little  uncomfortable,  but  I  came  at 
length  to  look  for  a  regular  instalment  of  this  kind  of 
correspondence  in  every  week's  mail,  and  up  to  In- 
auguration Day  I  was  in  constant  receipt  of  such  letters. 
It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  receive  them  now ;  but 
they  have  ceased  to  give  me  apprehension." 

Surprise  was  expressed  that  he  could  be  indifferent 
to  a  peril  that  his  friends  considered  imminent,  and  he 
answered :  — 


434       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Oh,  there  is  nothing  like  getting  used  to  things!" 

A  cavalry  guard  was  once  placed  at  the  gates  of 
the  White  House,  but  was  removed  at  his  request. 
"  I  worried  until  I  got  rid  of  it,"  he  said  to  a  friend. 

He  once  remarked  to  Colonel  Halpine,  *'It  will 
never  do  for  a  President  to  have  guards  with  drawn 
sabres  at  his  door,  as  if  he  fancied  he  were,  or  were 
trying  to  be,  or  were  assuming  to  be,  an  emperor." 

Once  he  went  to  General  Halleck's  private  quarters 
and  protested  against  a  detachment  of  cavalry,  de- 
tailed, without  his  request,  by  General  Wadsworth,  to 
guard  his  carriage  going  to  and  from  the  Soldiers' 
Home.     He  remarked,  facetiously,  yet  earnestly:  — 

''Why,  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  I  cannot  hear  ourselves 
talk  for  the  clatter  of  their  sabres  and  spurs ;  and  some 
of  them  appear  to  be  new  hands  and  very  awkward,  so 
that  I  am  more  afraid  of  being  shot  by  the  accidental 
discharge  of  a  carbine  or  revolver,  than  of  any  attempt 
upon  my  life  by  a  roving  squad  of  Stewart's  cavalry." 

Very  much  in  the  same  vein  he  replied  to  Colonel 
Halpine,  who  was  trying  to  show  him  his  exposure 
even  in  the  White  House,  saying:  — 

"There  are  two  dangers,  the  danger  of  deliberate 
political  assassination,  and  the  mere  brute  violence  of 
insanity." 

The  President  replied,  as  related  by  Mr.  Carpenter: 

"  Now  as  to  political  assassination,  do  you  think 
the  Richmond  people  would  like  to  have  Hannibal 
Hamlin  here  any  better  than  myself.^  In  that  one 
alternative,  I  have  an  insurance  on  my  life  worth  half 
the  prairie  land  of  Illinois.  And  beside,"  —  this  more 
gravely, —  "if  there  were  such  a  plot,  and  they  wanted 


E  C  R  E  T  A  F^  Y     O  F    WA  ? 


SHOT  OF  THE  ASSASSIN.  435 

to  get  at  me,  no  vigilance  could  keep  them  out.  We 
are  so  mixed  up  in  our  affairs,  that  —  no  matter  what 
the  system  established  —  a  conspiracy  to  assassinate, 
if  such  there  were,  could  easily  obtain  a  pass  to  see 
me  for  any  one  or  more  of  its  instruments. 

"To  betray  fear  of  this,  by  placing  guards  or  so 
forth,  would  only  be  to  put  the  idea  into  their  heads, 
and  perhaps,  lead  to  the  very  result  it  was  intended  to 
prevent.  As  to  the  crazy  folks.  Major,  why  I  must 
only  take  my  chances, — the  most  crazy  people  at 
present,  I  fear,  being  some  of  my  own  too  zealous  ad- 
herents. That  there  may  be  such  dangers  as  you  and 
many  others  have  suggested  to  me,  is  quite  possible ; 
but  I  guess  it  would  n't  improve  things  any  to  publish 
that  we  were  afraid  of  them  in  advance." 

At  one  time,  there  was  undoubted  proof  of  a  rebel 
plot  to  abduct  Mr.  Lincoln,  or  kill  him  in  the  attempt, 
as  there  was  at  one  time  to  capture  or  kill  George 
Washington  ;  and  when  the  facts  were  laid  before  him, 
he  replied :  — 

"Well,  even  if  true,  I  do  not  see  what  the  rebels 
would  gain  by  either  killing  or  getting  possession  of 
me.  I  am  but  a  single  individual,  and  it  would  not 
help  their  cause,  or  make  the  least  difference  in  the 
progress  of  the  war." 

On  the  morning  of  April  14,  1865,  the  President's 
son,  Capt.  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  returned  from  the  army, 
and  spent  an  hour  in  giving  his  father  a  detailed  ac- 
count of  Lee's  surrender.  At  the  same  time,  also,  he 
received  a  letter  from  General  Owen  Allen,  of  New 
York,  entreating  him  not  to  expose  his  life  again,  as 
he  did  by  going  to  Richmond,  to  which  he  replied:  — 


43^       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"I  intend  to  adopt  the  advice  of  my  friends,  and  use 
due  precaution." 

The  14th  of  April  was  a  holiday  for  the  loyal  people  ; 
for  it  was  the  anniversary  of  the  evacuation  of  Fort 
Sumter,  just  four  years  before ;  and  the  day  had  been 
set  apart  for  the  restoration  of  the  old  flag  to  its  former 
place  over  the  fort.  The  ceremony,  with  speeches, 
music,  cannon,  and  other  demonstrations  of  joy,  at 
Charleston,  S.  C,  was  witnessed  by  a  great  concourse 
of  loyal  men  from  every  part  of  the  land. 

A  special  programme  for  the  evening  of  that  day  was 
announced  at  Ford's  Theatre,  and  President  Lincoln, 
General  Grant,  and  other  public  men  in  the  city  were 
in\'ited;  and  it  was  announced  in  the  public  journals 
that  these  dignitaries  would  be  present. 

Mr.  Ashmun  and  Mr.  Colfax  were  with  him  when  his 
carriage  was  driven  to  the  gate.  The  latter  gentleman 
was  to  leave  in  the  morning  for  California.  Mr.  Ash- 
mun had  important  business  to  lay  before  the  Presi- 
dent ;  and,  before  entering  his  carriage,  the  latter  wrote 
upon  a  card  :  — 

"  Allow  Mr.  Ashmun  and  friend  to  come  in  at  nine  a.  m.  to- 

"A.  Lincoln." 

These  were  the  last  words  he  wrote.  Passing  out 
to  his  carriage,  he  said  to  Mr.  Colfax  :  — 

"  Do  not  forget  to  tell  the  people  of  the  mining 
regions  what  I  told  you  this  morning  about  the  de- 
velopment when  peace  comes." 

After  being  seated  in  his  carriage,  and  the  horses 
started,  he  added,  "  I  will  telegraph  you,  Colfax,  at 
San  Francisco." 


SHOT  OF  THE  ASSASSIN.  437 

It  was  twenty  minutes  to  nine  o'clock  when  he 
entered  the  theatre,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Lincoln, 
Miss  Harris  and  Major  Rathbone.  General  Grant  had 
been  called  to  Philadelphia. 

The  vast  audience  rose  to  their  feet,  and  made  such 
a  demonstration  in  honor  of  their  chief,  as  was  possible 
only  by  those  who  appreciated  the  end  of  the  war  and 
the  reign  of  peace. 

An  hour  afterwards,  the  crack  of  a  pistol  startled  the 
audience,  although,  at  first,  many  thought  it  was  a  part 
of  the  entertainment.  A  shriek  from  Mrs.  Lincoln, 
and  the  leap  of  the  assassin  from  the  President's  private 
box  to  the  stage,  however,  assured  them  that  a  real 
tragedy  had  been  enacted.  The  murderer  exclaimed, 
as  he  leaped  to  the  stage :  — 

^^  Sic  semper  tyrannis!'''  [Thus  let  it  ever  be  with 
tyrants.]  Then  brandishing  a  gleaming  dagger  he 
added,  "The  South  is  avenged,"  and  escaped. 

For  a  moment  the  audience  was  paralyzed,  scarcely 
realizing  the  tragic  situation. 

"  John  Wilkes  Booth ! "  shouted  a  man  in  the 
audience. 

"Shoot  him!"  "Shoot  him!"  "Hang  him!" 
screamed  a  hundred  men,  awaking  to  the  fact  that  it 
was  the  shot  of  an  assassin  which  startled  them. 

Women  screamed  and  fainted ;  men  gesticulated 
and  threatened ;  everybody  was  filled  with  consterna- 
tion and  dismay ;  hundreds  wept  in  fright  and  horror. 
The  scene  beggared  description.  From  the  highest 
peak  of  joy,  the  audience  was  plunged  in  a  moment 
down  to  unutterable  sorrow.  To  add  to  the  terrible 
fear  and  apprehension  the  tidings  were  brought,  as  the 


43^       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

excited  assembly  were  issuing  from  the  building,  that 
Secretary  Seward  and  Vice-President  Johnson  were 
assassinated,  also.  At  once,  hundreds  caught  up  the 
idea,  that  the  oft-repeated  rebel  threats  to  assassinate 
the  members  of  the  Cabinet  and  take  forcible  possession 
of  the  Government,  were  being  executed.  All  sorts  of 
rumors  of  violence  and  blood  spread  through  the 
city,  creating  the  apprehension  that  republican  insti- 
tutions were  dissolving  into  anarchy,  and  that  horrid 
butchery  would  destroy  what  treason  had  failed  to 
overthrow. 

The  reports  proved  to  be  true,  as  far  as  Secretary 
Seward  was  concerned.  One  of  the  conspirators, 
Lewis  Payne,  an  infamous  character,  had  entered  the 
secretary's  chamber  and  stabbed  him  three  times  in 
bed.  Mr.  Seward  was  helpless  at  the  time,  from  the 
effects  of  a  serious  injury  ;  and,  but  for  the  courage  and 
great  strength  of  his  attendant,  the  assassin  would 
have  killed  him  on  the  spot.  Mr.  Seward's  son  was 
present,  and  was  badly  wounded,  with  four  others,  by 
the  villain,  before  he  escaped  from  the  house. 

The  unconscious  form  of  the  President  was  borne 
across  the  street  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Peterson,  where 
the  best  medical  and  surgical  talent  of  the  city  came 
to  his  relief.  It  was  soon  manifest  that  the  good  and 
great  man  was  beyond  the  skill  of  physicians.  He  was 
shot  through  the  back  of  the  head,  the  ball  entering 
on  the  left  side  behind  the  ear,  passing  through  the 
brain,  and  lodging  just  behind  the  right  eye. 

By  midnight  all  the  members  of  the  Cabinet  stood 
around  the  couch  of  the  dying  President,  together  with 
Mrs.  Dixon,  for  whom  Mrs.  Lincoln  had  sent,  Miss 


SHOT  OF  THE  ASSASSIN.  439 

Harris,  Major  Rathbone,  Captain  Robert  Lincoln,  and 
his  almost  distracted  mother,  with  other  friends.  At 
the  announcement  of  Surgeon-General  Barnes,  that 
there  was  "not  a  ray  of  hope,"  Secretary  Stanton  burst 
iato  tears,  saying,  — 

"  Oh,  no  !     General,  no,  no  !  " 

Senator  Sumner  stood  holding  one  of  the  President's 
hands,  sobbing  as  if  parting  with  his  father.  Mrs. 
Lincoln  walked  to  and  fro  from  room  to  room,  wringing 
her  hands  in  despair,  exclaiming, — 

"  How  can  it  be  so  ?  Why  did  he  not  shoot  me 
instead  of  my  husband  ?  " 

Again  and  again  she  would  leave  the  room,  but  soon 
return,  wringing  her  hands  in  agony,  reiterating,  — 

"  Why  is  it  so  }     I  must  go  with  him  !  " 

Captain  Robert  Lincoln  bore  himself  with  great 
firmness,  comforting  his  mother  in  the  most  affection- 
ate manner,  and  entreating  her  to  look  to  God  for 
support.  Occasionally,  unable  to  control  his  feelings, 
he  retired  to  the  hall,  and  gave  vent  to  his  deep  sorrow 
for  a  moment,  and  then  returned  with  renewed  strength, 
to  assuage  the  grief  of  his  mother. 

Such  a  night  of  woe  and  anguish  was  never  known 
before  in  Washington.  The  weary  hours  dragged 
heavily  because  of  their  weight  of  sorrow.  The  mur- 
dered one  lay  unconscious  of  his  sufferings  and  the 
grief  of  friends  around  his  bed,  through  all  the  dis- 
mal night.  Before  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Secretary  Stanton  sent  the  following  telegram  over 
the  land :  — 

"Abraham  Lincoln  died  this  morning  at  twenty-two 
minutes  after  seven  o'clock." 


440       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

But  we  must  return  to  the  assassin.  He  was 
known  to  some  persons  who  saw  him  and  heard 
his  voice,  after  the  fatal  shot  —  John  Wilkes  Booth 
—  a  worthless,  dissipated  fellow,  in  full  sympathy  with 
the  rebel  cause.  Immediate  efforts  were  put  forth 
by  the  authorities  to  capture  him  and  his  fellow-con- 
spirators. It  was  soon  ascertained  that  Booth  had 
been  busy  laying  his  plans  during  the  previous  day, 
and  that  several  accomplices  were  engaged  with  him. 
There  was  unmistakable  evidence  that  other  members 
of  the  Cabinet  were  singled  out  for  assassination,  and 
that  General  Grant  would  have  been  a  victim  had  he 
remained  in  the  city.  A  letter  was  found  in  Booth's 
trunk  which  showed  that  the  assassination  was  planned 
for  March  4  —  the  day  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  inaugura- 
tion, and  that  it  failed  because  the  accomplices  refused 
to  proceed  ''  until  RicJmiond  coiild  be  heard from.'^ 

Colonel  Baker,  with  his  picked  men,  pursued  Booth 
to  the  farm-house  of  one  Garrett,  in  Lower  Maryland, 
in  whose  barn  he  was  found,  with  Herold,  one  of  his 
accomplices.  Herold  gave  himself  up,  but  Booth  re- 
fused to  surrender,  whereupon  the  barn  was  set  on 
fire,  and  he  was  shot  by  Boston  Corbett,  in  his  at- 
tempt to  escape.  Lewis  Payne,  who  made  the  attempt 
upon  the  life  of  Secretary  Seward,  George  A.  Atzerodt, 
to  whom  was  assigned  the  murder  of  Vice-President 
Johnson,  Michael  O'Laughlin,  Edward  Spanglcr,  who 
aided  Booth  at  the  theatre,  Samuel  Arnold,  Mary  E. 
Surratt,  and  Dr.  Samuel  A.  Mudd,  were  the  conspirators 
arrested  and  tried  by  a  military  commission.  Herold, 
Atzerodt,  Payne,  and  Mrs.  Surratt  were  sentenced  to  be 
hanged,  and  were  executed  on  the  seventh  day  of  July. 


SHOT  OF   THE  ASSASSIN.  441 

We  stop  here  to  record  a  fact  about  the  assassin 
that  has  never  been  published.  A  retired  sea-captain 
of  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  remarked,  when  he  read  that 
J.  Wilkes  Booth  had  murdered  President  Lincoln  : 

*'  I  am  not  at  all  surprised ;  just  what  I  should 
expect !  " 

**  Why  do  you  say  that  t  "  inquired  a  listener. 

"I  will  tell  you,"  replied  the  captain;  "when  J. 
Wilkes  Booth  was  about  ten  years  old,  I  was  running 
a  vessel  from  Liverpool  to  New  Orleans,  and  I  brought 
J.  Wilkes,  with  his  father  and  family,  from  the  former 
to  the  latter  place.  That  boy,  John  Wilkes,  was  the 
most  ungovernable  and  impudent  fellow  of  his  age  I 
ever  met  with.  Like  most  boys  who  go  to  ruin,  he 
was  disrespectful  and  saucy  to  his  mother.  She  could 
do  nothing  with  him.  One  day  she  was  correcting 
him  for  his  usual  impudence  to  her,  when  Mr.  Booth, 
her  husband,  made  his  appearance.  Observing  what 
his  wife  was  about,  he  cried  out  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
*  What !  treating  that  boy  so  ?  He  never  will  make  a 
man  if  you  treat  him  so.*  "  The  captain  added  :  "  I 
am  not  surprised  that  such  a  boy  should  become  an 
assassin." 

Before  his  assassination,  President  Lincoln  was 
often  likened  to  William  of  Orange,  whose  subjects 
called  him  "  Father  William,"  as  we  were  wont  to  call 
our  beloved  President  "  Father  Abraham."  But  when 
treason  had  done  its  worst,  and  our  Lincoln  was 
assassinated,  as  William  of  Orange  was  assassinated, 
the  comparison  with  that  "  purest  and  best-loved  ruler 
of  his  times"  became  a  remarkable  and  affecting 
coincidence. 


442       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

By  midnight,  April  14,  the  tidings  of  President  Lin- 
coln's assassination  began  to  flash  over  the  wires. 
Long  before  sunrise  the  large  cities  and  towns  of  the 
countr}%  having  night  telegraphic  connection  with 
Washington,  were  startled  by  the  terrible  news.  Gov- 
ernors, mayors  and  other  officials,  were  called  from 
their  beds  to  receive  the  dreadful  announcement.  By 
the  time  men  and  women  went  to  the  business  of  the 
morning  the  sad  news  met  them  everywhere ;  and 
speedily  followed  Mr.  Stanton's  telegram  announcing 
the  President's  death. 

Never  was  there  such  sorrow  in  the  Republic 
before.  The  people  had  been  rejoicing  over  the  close 
of  the  war  for  several  days,  and  the  praise  of  President 
Lincoln,  for  his  wise  and  successful  administration, 
was  on  every  lip.  The  heights  of  national  joy  had 
been  reached  ;  and  now  to  plunge  therefrom  into  the 
lowest  depths  of  sorrow,  was  a  fearful  change.  The 
popular  heart  sunk  under  the  burden  of  grief.  Strong 
men  wept  as  they  went  about  the  streets.  Great  men 
buried  their  faces  in  their  hands  and  cried  as  if  a  mem- 
ber of  their  own  families  had  been  stricken  down. 
The  marts  of  trade  were  turned  to  houses  of  mourning. 
The  transaction  of  business  ceased.  Neither  rich  nor 
poor  had  any  heart  to  traffic  or  labor.  Neighbor  ac- 
costed neighbor  —  "  terrible  !  terrible !  "  and  burst  into 
tears.  The  sorrow  was  universal.  Both  old  and 
young  felt  its  oppressive  weight. 

A  few  weary,  sad  hours  passed,  and  people  began  to 
gather  in  halls  and  churches  to  carry  their  case  to  the 
Lord.  There  was  no  help  in  man  for  such  a  trial. 
When  stalwart  men  bear  about  so  great  a  sorrow,  that 


SHOT  OF   THE  ASSASSIN.  443 

they  meet  only  to  speak  in  tears,  the  only  relief  is 
found  at  the  throne  of  grace.  And  so  men  left  their 
business  and  women  their  homes  to  gather  round  a 
common  altar  ;  rich  and  poor,  learned  and  unlearned, 
meeting  together  before  the  Most  High.  There  were 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  such  assemblies  on  the 
afternoon  of  that  sorrowful  Saturday,  April  15,  1865. 
Words  of  comfort,  prayers,  and  tears,  brought  some 
relief  to  the  mourning  people. 

The  next  day  was  the  holy  Sabbath  ;  and  such  a 
Sabbath  !  Already  the  symbols  of  grief  had  appeared 
on  churches  and  public  buildings,  stores  and  dwelling 
houses.  As  if  by  a  general  impulse,  the  people  every- 
where began  on  Saturday  to  drape  their  homes  and 
places  of  business  with  the  habiliments  of  sorrow. 
The  markets  were  exhausted  of  every  fabric  that  could 
be  used  to  express  the  sadness  of  human  hearts. 
Houses  of  worship  were  crowded  on  Sunday  with 
honest  mourners.  In  pulpits  heavily  draped  with 
crape,  preachers  discoursed  upon  the  great  sorrow, 
and  led  their  sorrowful  congregations  to  the  Lord. 
The  day  will  never  be  forgotten  by  the  multitude  who 
mingled  their  common  grief. 

In  some  localities  the  grief  expressed  itself  in  the 
form  of  vengeance.  It  assumed  that  form  early  on 
Saturday  morning  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Armed 
men  gathered  in  the  streets  threatening  speedy  death 
to  disloyal  citizens.  Their  numbers  rapidly  increased, 
until  fifty  thousand  assembled  in  Wall  street  Exchange, 
bearing  aloft  a  portable  gallows,  and  swearing  sum- 
mary vengeance  upon  the  first  rebel  sympathizer  who 
dared   to  speak.     One   thoughtless   fellow   remarked 


444       PIOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

that  **  Lincoln  ought  to  have  been  shot  long  ago"; 
and  he  was  struck  dead  instantly.  The  grieved  and 
vencreful   crowd    seethed   towards    the   office    of    the 

o 

Worldy  a  disloyal  paper,  with  mutterings  of  violence 
on  their  lips.  It  seemed  scarcely  possible  to  prevent 
violent  demonstration.  A  bloody  scene  appeared  to  be 
imminent.  At  that  critical  moment  a  portly  man,  of 
commanding  physique  and  voice,  appeared  upon  the 
balcony  of  the  City  Hall,  from  which  telegrams  were 
read  to  the  people,  and  raising  his  right  hand  to  in- 
voke silence,  he  exclaimed,  in  clear  and  sonorous 
tones :  — 

"  Fellow-citizens  :  Clouds  and  darkness  are  round 
about  Him  !  His  pavilion  is  dark  waters  and  thick 
clouds  of  the  skies !  Justice  and  judgment  are  the 
habitation  of  His  throne !  Mercy  and  truth  shall  go 
before  his  face !  Fellow-citizens  :  God  reigns,  and  the 
government  at  Washington  still  lives  !  " 

The  effect  of  this  serious  address  was  magical.  The 
raging  populace  subsided  into  repose.  A  hushed 
silence  pervaded  the  vast  assembly,  when  the  voice  of 
the  speaker  ceased,  as  if  they  had  listened  to  a  mes- 
senger from  the  skies.  The  change  was  marvellous. 
The  speaker  was  General  James  A.  Garfield,  who 
became  President  sixteen  years  afterwards,  and  was 
shot  by  an  assassin  four  months  later  !  How  strange 
that  the  inhabitants  of  that  metropolis,  who  listened 
to  the  gifted  statesman  so  gladly,  April  14th,  1865, 
should  be  shocked  by  the  news  of  his  assassination  on 
July  2d,  1881  ! 

No  class  of  citizens  were  more  sincere  mourners  for 
the  illustrious  dead  than  the  colored  race.     They  went 


SHOT  OF  THE  ASSASSIN.  445 

about  the  streets  of  Washington  wringing  their  hands 
and  weeping  as  Rachel  did  for  her  children.  They 
gathered  in  groups  on  the  streets  and  bewailed  their 
loss  in  pitiful  lamentations.  Many  of  them  appeared 
to  be  inconsolable.  More  sincere  and  profound  sor- 
row never  bowed  human  hearts. 

A  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Tribune^  writing 
from  Charleston,  S.  C,  said  :  — 

"  I  never  saw  such  sad  faces  or  heard  such  heavy 
heart-beatings  as  here  in  Charleston  the  day  the 
dreadful  news  came  !  The  colored  people  —  the  na- 
tive loyalists  —  were  like  children  bereaved  of  an  old 
and  loved  parent.  I  saw  one  old  woman  going  up  the 
street  wringing  her  hands  and  saying  aloud  as  she 
walked,  looking  straight  before  her,  so  absorbed  in  her 
grief  that  she  noticed  no  one  :  '  O  Lord  !  O  Lord  !  O 
Lord  !    Massa  Sam's  dead  !  Massa  Sam's  dead  ! ' 

"  *  Who's  dead.  Aunty  .? '  I  asked  her. 

"  *  Massa  Sam,'  she  said,  not  looking  at  me,  renew- 
ing her  lamentations. 

*' '  O  Lord!  O  Lord  !  O  Lord  !  Massa  Sam's  dead  ! ' 

*'  *  Who  is  Massa  Sam  } '  I  asked  again. 

"  *  Uncle  Sam,'  she  said. 

*"OLord!  Lord!  Lord !"  she  continued. 

"  I  was  not  quite  sure  that  she  meant  the  President, 
and  I  spoke  again  :  — 

"'Who's  Massa  Sam,  Aunty.?' 

"  *  Mr.  Lincum  ! '  she  said,  and  resumed  wringing  her 
hands  and  moaning  in  utter  hopelessness  of  sorrow. 
The  poor  creature  was  too  ignorant  to  comprehend  any 
difference  between  the  very  unreal  Uncle  Sam  and  the 
actual  President ;  but  her  heart  told  her  that  he  whom 


44^       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Heaven  had  sent  in  answer  to  her  prayers  was  lying  in 
a  bloody  grave,  and  she  and  her  race  were  left — fatJicr- 
Icssr 

A  friend  of  the  writer  was  in  a  city  of  North  Carolina 
when  the  news  of  the  assassination  reached  the  colored 
people  there.  In  their  profound  grief  they  f«)llowed 
their  leader  to  their  humble  place  of  worship,  filling  it 
to  overflowing.  Our  friend  went  thither,  and  found 
the  whole  congregation  upon  their  knees,  giving  vent 
to  their  feelings  in  convulsive  sobs  and  piteous  moans. 
Even  their  patriarchal  leader  was  too  full  for  utterance ; 
and,  on  his  knees,  he  was  crying  with  his  afflicted  peo- 
ple. At  length,  an  old  woman,  bowed  with  age  and 
trembling  with  emotion,  rose  to  express  her  grief  in 
words.  Clasping  her  dusky  hands  together,  and  lifting 
her  streaming  eyes  heavenward,  she  exclaimed: — 

*'  Bress  de  Lord  !  bress  de  Lord !  Dey  hab  killed 
Massa  Linkum,  but  dey  can't  kill  God!" 

"  Amen ! "  "  Amen ! "  "  Amen ! "  was  the  response 
from  every  part  of  the  house,  showing,  not  only  the 
greatness  of  their  bereavement,  but,  also,  their  glad- 
ness that  God  was  left.  From  that  moment  their 
tongues  were  loosed,  and  they  found  relief  in  the  in- 
spiring thought,  "they  can't  kill  God." 

The  Atlantic  Cable  flashed  the  terrible  news  across 
the  sea,  "President  Lincoln  Assassinated,"  start- 
ling foreign  governments,  and  eliciting  expressions  of 
profound  sympathy. 

Queen  Victoria  instructed  Earl  Russell  to  convey 
her  unfeigned  sorrow  to  the  government  of  the  United 
States,  and,  at  the  same  time,  with  her  own  hand, 
she  addressed  a  letter  of  touching  condolence  to  Mrs. 
Lincoln. 


SHOT  OF   THE  ASSASSIN.  447 

The  London  ''Spectator"  declared  that  all  England 
wept  for  ''the  noblest  President  whom  America  has 
had  since  the  time  of  Washington ;  certainly  the  best, 
if  not  the  ablest,  man  ruling  over  any  country  in  the 
civilized  world." 

The  Empress  Eugenie,  wife  of  Napoleon,  the  Em- 
peror of  France,  addressed  a  letter  of  true  sympathy  to 
Mrs.  Lincoln ;  and  the  French  government  seconded 
the  address  of  the  Emperor  to  the  United  States,  ex- 
pressing the  deepest  sorrow  over  our  national  bereave- 
ment. 

The  governments  of  Russia,  Italy,  Prussia,  Belgium, 
Turkey,  Austria  and  Switzerland,  were  equally  demon- 
strative in  their  expressions  of  grief  and  condolence. 

Hon.  George  Bancroft,  the  historian,  said,  "  The 
echoes  of  his  funeral  knell  vibrate  through  the  world, 
and  the  friends  of  freedom  of  every  tongue  and  in  every 
clime  are  the  mourners." 

Speaker  Colfax  said,  — 

"  Of  this  noble-hearted  man,  so  full  of  genial  impulses,  so  self- 
forgetful,  so  utterly  unselfish,  so  pure  and  gentle  and  good,  who 
lived  for  us  and  at  last  died  for  us,  I  feel  how  inadequate  I  am  to 
portray  his  manifold  excellence  —  his  intellectual  worth  —  his 
generous  character  —  his  fervid  patriotism.  Pope  celebrated  the 
memory  of  Robert  Harley,  the  Lord  of  Oxford,  a  privy  counsellor 
of  Queen  Anne,  who  himself  narrowly  escaped  assassination,  in 
lines  that  seem  prophetic  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  virtues  :  — 

'A  soul  supreme  in  each  hard  instance  tried; 
Above  all  pain,  all  anger,  and  all  pride, 
The  rage  of  power,  the  blast  of  public  breath, 
The  lust  of  lucre,  and  the  dread  of  death.* 


44S       PIOXEER  HOME   TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

''  Murdered,  coffined,  buried,  he  will  live  with  those  few  im- 
mortal names  who  were  not  born  to  die  ;  live  as  the  Father  of  the 
Faithful  in  the  time  that  tried  men's  souls ;  live  in  the  grateful 
hearts  of  the  dark-browed  race  he  lifted  from  under  the  heel  of  the 
oppressor  to  the  dignity  of  freedom  and  manhood ;  live  in  every 
bereaved  circle  which  has  given  father,  husband,  son,  or  friend  to 
die,  as  he  did,  for  his  country ;  live  with  the  glorious  company  of 
martyrs  to  liberty,  justice,  and  humanity,  that  trio  of  Heaven-born 
principles  ;  live  in  the  love  of  all  beneath  the  circuit  of  the  sun, 
who  loathe  tyranny,  slavery,  and  wrong.  And,  leaving  behind  him 
a  record  that  shows  how  honesty  and  principle  lifted  him,  self- 
made  as  he  was,  from  the  humblest  ranks  of  the  people  to  the 
noblest  station  on  the  globe,  and  a  name  that  shall  brighten  under 
the  eye  of  posterity  as  the  ages  roll  by  — 

*  From  the  top  of  Fame's  ladder  he  stepped  to  the  sky.' " 


CHAPTER    XXIX.  . 

FUNERAL   CEREMONIES. 

IMMEDIATE  preparations  were   made   for 
the  obsequies.    The  dead  body  of  the  Presi- 
dent  was   removed   to   the  White   House, 
^  where   it   was  embalmed   and  placed  in  a 
costly  casket  resting  upon  an  elaborate  catafalque. 

On  Monday,  a  meeting  of  Congressmen,  with  other 
notable  persons  in  Washington,  was  held  in  the 
Capitol,  when  Charles  Sumner  of  Massachusetts 
was  appointed  Chairman  of  a  Committee  to  arrange 
for  the  funeral  ceremonies.  At  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  this  Committee  reported  Wednesday  for 
the  time  of  the  funeral,  and  the  names  of  six  Sen- 
ators and  six  Representatives  for  pall-bearers,  and 
one  gentleman  from  each  State  and  Territory  as  a 
National  Committee  to  attend  ^the  remains  to  Spring- 
field, Illinois. 

On  Tuesday  morning  the  White  House  was  thrown 
open  to  the  tens  of  thousands  anxious  to  behold  once 
more  the  face  of  their  beloved  ruler.  All  day,  until 
far  into  the  evening,  a  steady  stream  of  visitors,  of  all 
ages  and  classes,  passed  into  the  presence  of  the  dead. 
Thousands  were  unable  to  gain  admittance  to  the  Ex- 


450       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ecutive  IMansion  during  the  day,  on  account  of  the 
multitude,  and  they  turned  away  in  disappointment. 

When  the  hour  of  the  funeral  arrived  on  Wednesday, 
the  city,  with  all  its  public  buildings,  was  elaborately 
draped  in  black.  The  symbols  of  mourning  were  of 
the  most  varied  and  expensive  character.  Decorative 
art  was  taxed  to  its  utmost  to  express  the  sentiment 
of  grief  that  pervaded  the  city.  A  public  man,  looking 
at  the  sable  drapery,  remarked  :  — 

"  As  it  should  be.  The  nation  would  have  it  so.  It 
tells  the  real  sorrow  of  the  people." 

The  funeral  services  were  conducted  in  the  East 
Room,  where  the  family  and  relatives  of  the  President, 
with  many  distinguished  men,  were  seated.  Mrs. 
Lincoln  was  too  much  prostrated  to  attend  the  funeral 
service.  Many  governors,  senators,  judges,  repre- 
sentatives, and  other  men  of  note,  were  present  from 
different  parts  of  the  Union.  Governors  Fenton  of 
New  York,  Andrew  of  Massachusetts,  Brough  of  Ohio, 
Parker  of  New  Jersey,  Oglesby  of  Illinois,  and  Buck- 
ingham of  Connecticut,  were  there.  The  ceremonies 
were  simple  and  touching,  very  appropriate  for  the 
truly  Republican  statesman  for  whom  the  nation 
mourned.  Rev.  Dr.  Gurley  paid  a  just  and  eloquent 
tribute  to  the  dead.     He  said  :  — 

"  Probably  no  man  since  the  days  of  Washington  was  ever  so 
deeply  and  firmly  embedded  and  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people  as  Abraham  Lincoln.  Nor  was  it  a  mistaken  confidence 
and  love.  He  deserved  it ;  deserved  it  well ;  deserved  it  all.  He 
merited  it  by  his  character,  by  his  acts,  and  by  the  tenor  and 
tone  and  spirit  of  his  life.  .  .  He  rose  to  the  dignity  and 
momentousness  of  the  occasion  ;  saw  his  duty  as  the  magistrate 
of  a  great  and  imperilled  people,  and  he  determined  to  do  his 


FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.  45 1 

duty  and  his  whole  duty,  seeking  the  guidance  and  leaning  upon 
the  arm  of  Him  of  whom  it  is  written  —  '  He  giveth  power  to  the 
faint,  and  to  them  that  have  no  might  he  increaseth  strength. 
.  .  .  Never  shall  I  forget  the  emphasis  and  the  deep  emotion 
with  which  he  said,  in  this  very  room,  to  a  company  of  clergymen 
and  others,  who  called  to  pay  him  their  respects  in  the  darkest 
days  of  our  civil  conflict :  '  Gentlemen,  my  hope  of  success  in 
the  great  and  terrible  struggle  rests  on  that  immovable  foundation, 
the  justice  and  goodness  of  God.  And  when  events  are  very 
threatening,  and  prospects  very  dark,  I  still  hope  that,  in  some 
way  which  man  cannot  see,  all  will  be  well  in  the  end,  because 
our  cause  is  just,  and  God  is  on  our  side.'  Such  was  his  sublime 
and  holy  faith ;  and  it  was  an  anchor  to  his  soul  both  sure  and 
steadfast.  It  made  him  firm  and  strong  It  emboldened  him 
in  the  pathway  of  duty,  however  rugged  and  perilous  it  might  be. 
It  made  him  valiant  for  the  right,  for  the  cause  of  God  and  hu- 
manity, and  it  held  him  steady  and  unswerving  to  a  policy  of 
administration  which  he  thought,  and  which  all  now  think,  both 
God  and  man  required  him  to  adopt." 

At  the  close  of  the  services  in  the  presidential  man- 
sion, the  body  was  conveyed  to  the  Capitol,  followed  by 
a  larger  and  more  imposing  procession  than  had  ever 
been  seen  in  Washington.  The  grand  avenue  leading 
from  the  White  House  to  the  Capitol  was  one  dense 
mass  of  human  beings,  and  all  the  neighboring  streets 
of  the  city  were  thronged  with  tearful  spectators.  As 
the  hearse,  which  was  drawn  by  eight  gray  horses, 
heavily  draped  in  black,  approached  the  Capitol  grounds, 
several  bands  joined  in  a  mournful  requiem,  answered 
by  minute  guns  from  the  fortifications.  The  casket 
was  deposited  in  the  rotunda,  resting  upon  a  grand 
catafalque,  when  Dr.  Gurley  conducted  further  cere- 
monies suited  to  the  place  and  the  occasion.  Then 
the  doors  were  thrown  open,  that  the  remains  might  be 


452       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

viewed  by  the  tens  of  thousands  who  had  failed  to  gain 
access  to  the  Executive  Mansion.  From  that  time,  all 
through  the  night,  and  far  into  the  next  day,  a  tide  of 
people  flowed  in  and  out  of  the  rotunda,  to  view  the 
face  of  the  President  whom  they  had  honored  and 
loved.  Of  the  pageant  of  that  day,  Dr.  Holland  says : 
''  In  many  of  its  aspects,  it  was  never  paralleled  upon 
this  continent.  Nothing  like  it  —  nothing  approaching 
it — had  ever  occurred  in  this  country,  if,  indeed,  in  the 
world." 

The  same  day  was  set  apart,  throughout  the  land,  for 
funeral  ceremonies,  in  honor  of  the  deceased  President. 
In  hundreds  and  thousands  of  towns  and  cities,  churches 
and  public  halls  were  thrown  open,  and  the  clergy  and 
other  professional  gentlemen  as  well  as  laymen,  ad- 
dressed the  assembled  multitudes,  and  led  them  to  the 
throne  of  grace. 

The  funeral  train  left  Washington  on  the  morning 
of  April  21.  Along  with  the  casket  of  the  President, 
was  borne  that  of  Willie — father  and  son  united  in 
death  in  the  journey  homeward,  as  they  were  united  in 
life,  four  years  before,  on  their  journey  thitherward. 
The  train  was  elaborately  draped,  from  the  locomotive 
to  the  last  car. 

At  Baltimore,  where  conspirators  sought  the  Presi- 
dent's life,  four  years  before,  on  his  journey  to  Wash- 
ington, thus  obliging  him  to  pass  through  the  city  by 
night,  a  vast  concourse  of  people  assembled  to  pay 
their  tribute  of  respect  to  the  dead.  The  city  was 
almost  as  profusely  draped  as  Washington  itself  ;  and 
when  the  casket  was  opened  to  the  public,  for  a  brief 
time,  as   honest   tears  w^^rc   shed   by  the  multitude 


FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.  453 

about  his  remains  as  were  wept  in  any  other  part  of 
the  land. 

The  inhabitants  of  every  village  through  which  the 
funeral  train  passed,  gathered  at  the  depots,  and,  with 
uncovered  heads,  watched  it  as  it  swept  by,  while  the 
tolling  of  bells,  and  sometimes  the  solemn  dirge  by  a 
band,  together  with  sable  draperies  on  buildings  and 
flags,  added  pathos  to  their  grief. 

At  York,  six  ladies  entered  the  funeral  car,  bearing 
an  immense  floral  tribute,  which  they  laid  upon  the 
coffin  so  tenderly,  and  with  so  much  emotion,  that  all 
witnesses  were  moved  to  tears. 

The  funeral  cortege  reached  Philadelphia  on  Saturday 
evening,  and  the  remains  were  conveyed  to  Independ- 
ence Hall,  followed  by  a  procession  of  one  hundred 
thousand  people,  while  from  three  to  four  hundred 
thousand  more  were  spectators.  In  the  solemn  shadows 
of  night,  moving  to  the  measure  of  funereal  music,  the 
departed  President  was  laid  in  the  historic  hall,  which 
was  one  mass  of  flags,  drapery,  and  flowers.  Few  failed 
to  recall  the  prophetic  words  of  the  dead  man,  uttered 
within  that  hall  four  years  before, when  he  was  on  his  way 
to  Washington  to  assume  the  duties  of  President :  — 

"  All  the  political  sentiments  I  entertain  have  been  drawn,  so 
far  as  I  have  been  able  to  draw  them,  from  the  sentiments  which 
originated,  and  were  given  to  the  world  from  this  hall.  I  have 
never  had  a  feeling  politically  that  did  not  spring  from  the  senti- 
ments embodied  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence."  .  .  . 
"  Now,  my  friends,  can  this  country  be  saved  on  this  basis  ?  If  it 
can,  I  shall  consider  myself  one  of  the  happiest  men  in  the  world 
if  I  can  help  to  save  it.  If  it  cannot  be  saved  upon  that  principle, 
it  will  be  truly  awful.  But  if  this  country  cannot  be  saved  without 
giving  up  that  principle,  I  was  about  to  say  /  would  rather  be 
assassinated  on  the  spot." 


454       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

After  the  addition  of  a  few  more  words,  he  added : 

**  I  have  said  nothing  but  what  I  am  willing  to  live  by 
and,  if  it  be  the  pleasure  of  Ahnighty  Gody  to  die  by.'* 

How  wonderful  his  words  in  view  of  the  appalling 
fact,  that  the  enemies  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence finally  took  his  life  ! 

From  Saturday  night  until  Monday  morning,  the 
face  of  the  murdered  President  was  viewed  by  three 
hundred  thousand  people  —  an  eager,  orderly,  mourning 
procession,  moving  in  and  out  of  Independence  Hall, 
night  and  day,  to  pay  their  sincere  tribute  of  respect  to 
the  dead. 

In  the  city  of  New  York  more  than  one  hundred 
thousand  people  were  in  the  procession,  twenty  thou- 
sand of  whom  were  soldiers.  One  hundred  bands  of 
music  played  during  the  march.  Nearly  a  millon 
people  witnessed  the  pageant.  Public  services  were 
held  in  Union  Square,  where  Hon.  George  Bancroft 
delivered  the  eulogy,  and  Dr.  J.  P.  Thompson  read  the 
President's  last  inaugural  address.  The  following  beau- 
tiful ode  by  the  poet  Bryant  was  read  by  Dr.  Osgood : — 

"Oh,  slow  to  smite  and  swift  to  spare, 
Gentle,  and  merciful,  and  just ! 
Who  in  the  fear  of  God  didst  bear 

The  sword  of  power  —  a  nation's  trust. 

In  sorrow  by  thy  bier  we  stand. 

Amid  the  awe  that  hushes  all. 
And  speak  the  anguish  of  a  land 

That  shook  with  horror  at  thy  fall. 

Thy  task  is  done  —  the  bond  are  free  ; 

We  bear  thee  to  an  honored  grave, 
Whose  noblest  monument  shall  be 

The  broken  fetters  of  the  slave. 


FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.  455 


Pure  was  thy  life  ;  its  bloody  close 

Hath  placed  thee  with  the  sons  of  light, 

Among  the  noble  host  of  those 

Who  perished  in  the  cause  of  right." 

Of  the  ceremonies  in  New  York,  Morris  said  :  "  The 
funeral  ceremonies  of  the  first  Napoleon,  in  the  streets 
of  Paris,  when  his  remains  were  transferred  from  St. 
Helena  to  the  Invalides  by  Louis  Philippe,  were  re- 
garded as  the  greatest  pageant  the  world  had  ever 
known,  but  the  pageant  in  New  York  far  exceeded  it." 

At  Albany  the  scene  was  no  less  imposing.  The 
city  was  shrouded  with  crape,  and  beautiful  sentiments 
appeared  here  and  there :  — 

*'The  great  heart  of  the  nation  throbs  heavily  at  the  portals  of 

the  grave." 

"  All  joy  is  darkened  ;  the  mirth  of  the  land  is  gone." 

"  And  the  mourners  go  about  the  streets." 

"  And  the  victory  that  day  was  turned  into  mourning  unto  all 
the  people." 

"  The  Martyr  to  Liberty." 

"  Though  dead,  he  yet  speaketh." 

"Washington,  the  Father  of  his  country  ;  Lincoln,  the  Saviour 
of  his  country." 

At  Dunkirk,  upon  a  tastefully  draped  platform  was 
*'  a  group  of  thirty-six  young  ladies,  representing  the 
States  of  the  Union.  They  were  dressed  in  white, 
each  with  a  broad  black  scarf  resting  on  the  shoulder, 
and  holding  in  her  hand  a  national  flag." 

At  Cleveland  and  Columbus,  Ohio,  one  hundred 
and  eighty  persons  a  minute  saw  the  remains,  "  two 
rows  of  spectators  were  constantly  passing,,  one  on 
each  side  of  the  coffin."  Flowers  wrought  into  every 
conceivable  device,  to  express  affection  and  respect  for 


456       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  dead,  literally  covered  the  coffin  and  platform  — 
harps,  wreaths,  bouquets,  crosses,  anchors,  and 
crowns. 

At  Piqua  ten  thousand  people  assembled  at  mid- 
night, with  uncovered  heads,  as  distinctly  seen  under 
the  blaze  of  torches  and  bonfires  as  under  the  light  of 
mid-day,  and  thirty-six  ladies  in  white,  with  black 
sashes,  upon  a  draped  platform,  sang  a  plaintive  tune 
amidst  a  hushed  silence  that  was  oppressive.  As  they 
closed,  a  band  followed  with  a  touching  dirge.  The 
effect  of  these  ceremonies  at  midnight  baffles  descrip- 
tion. 

The  body  of  the  President  lay  in  state  at  Indianapolis 
over  the  Sabbath  of  April  30,  and  was  viewed  by  over 
one  hundred  thousand  people,  among  whom  were  five 
thousand  Sabbath-school  scholars  who  came  in  a  body 
with  flowers  to  scatter  upon  the  bier. 

At  Chicago,  the  preparations  for  funeral  ceremonies 
were  too  elaborate  to  be  described.  Thirty-six  young 
ladies  in  white,  with  black  sashes,  bareheaded  and  with 
a  black  velvet  wreath  over  the  brows,  a  star  in  front, 
their  arms  full  of  flowers  —  immortelles  and  garlands  — 
met  the  procession  before  it  reached  the  court-house, 
and  laid  their  floral  tributes  upon  the  funeral  car.  As 
the  coffin  was  deposited  in  the  spacious  hall,  a  hundred 
singers,  overhead  and  invisible,  sang  a  funeral  dirge 
with  melting  effect.  Speaker  Colfax  delivered  an 
eloquent  eulogy.     Some  of  the  mottoes  displayed  were : 

*'  The  altar  of  Freedom  has  borne  no  nobler  sacrifice." 
"  Illinois  clasps  to  her  bosom  her  slain,  but  glorified  son." 
**  He  was  sustained  by  our  prayers,  and  returned  embalmed  by 
our  tears." 


FUNERAL    CEREMONIES.  457 

During  the  two  days  the  remains  reposed  in  Chicago, 
five  hundred  thousand  mourners  paid  their  tributes  of 
respect  to  their  lamented  fellow-citizen  and  neighbor. 

But  at  his  home,  in  Springfield,  among  his  former 
intimate  friends  and  townsmen,  the  most  touching 
scenes  occurred.  Many  sobbed  aloud  as  they  looked 
upon  his  familiar  face  in  death.  Old  men  and  women, 
young  men  and  maidens,  mourned  as  for  a  brother  and 
father.  From  the  country  around,  for  fifty  miles  and 
more,  people  came  wearing  badges  of  mourning  —  so 
many  thousands  that  the  town  could  scarcely  contain 
them.  And  when  the  body  was  conveyed  to  the  Oak 
Ridge  Cemetery,  where  Bishop  Simpson  delivered  a 
funeral  oration,  acres  of  ground  were  one  vast  "  sea  of 
upturned  faces."  In  just  two  weeks  from  the  time  the 
funeral  cortege  left  Washington,  upon  its  march  of  six- 
teen hundred  miles,  the  remains  were  deposited  in  the 
grave,  over  which  a  grateful  country  has  reared  a  costly 
monument. 

Conspicuous  among  the  mottoes  displayed  in  the 
town,  were  these  two  :  — 

"  Sooner  than  surrender  this  principle,  I  would  be  assassinated 
on  the  spot." 

"  Washington,  the  Father  of  his  country  ;  Lincoln,  the  Sav- 
iour." 

The  closing  paragraph  of  Bishop  Simpson's  eloquent 
eulogy  shall  close  our  story  of  him  who  worked  his  way 
from  his  pioneer  home  to  the  White  House:  — 

"  Chieftain  !  farewell !  The  nation  mourns  thee.  Mothers 
shall  teach  thy  name  to  their  lisping  children.  The  youth  of  our 
land  shall  emulate  thy  virtues.  Statesmen  shall  study  thy  record 
and  learn  lessons  of  wisdom.     Mute  though  thy  lips  be,  yet  they 


458       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

still  speak.  Hushed  is  thy  voice,  but  its  echoes  of  liberty  are 
ringing  through  the  world,  and  the  sons  of  bondage  listen  with 
joy.  Prisoned  thou  art  in  death,  and  yet  thou  art  marching 
abroad,  and  chains  and  manacles  are  bursting  at  thy  touch.  Thou 
didst  fall  not  for  thyself  The  assassin  had  no  hate  for  thee.  Our 
hearts  were  aimed  at,  our  national  life  was  sought.  We  crown 
thee  as  our  martyr  —  and  humanity  enthrones  thee  as  her  triumph- 
ant son.     Hero,  martyr,  friend,  farewell !  " 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

ORATION  BY  HON.  GEORGE  BANCROFT. 

UR  grief  and  horror  at  the  crime  which  has 
clothed  the  continent  in  mourning,  find  no 
adequate  expression  in  words,  and  no  rehef 
in  tears.  The  President  of  the  United 
States  of  America  has  fallen  by  the  hands  of  an 
assassin.  Neither  the  office  by  which  he  was  invested 
by  the  approved  choice  of  a  mighty  people,  nor  the 
most  simple-hearted  kindliness  of  nature,  could  save 
him  from  the  fiendish  passions  of  relentless  fanaticism. 
The  wailings  of  the  millions  attend  his  remains  as 
they  are  borne  in  solemn  procession  over  our  great 
rivers,  along  the  seaside,  beyond  the  mountains,  across 
the  prairie,  to  their  resting-place  in  the  valley  of  the 
Mississippi.  His  funeral  knell  vibrates  through  the 
world,  and  the  friends  of  freedom  of  every  tongue  and 
in  every  clime  are  his  mourners. 

Too  few  days  have  passed  away  since  Abraham  Lin- 
coln stood  in  the  flush  of  vigorous  manhood,  to  permit 
any  attempt  at  an  analysis  of  his  character,  or  an  ex- 
position of  his  career.  We  find  it  hard  to  believe  that 
his  large  eyes,  which  in  their  softness  and  beauty 
expressed  nothing  but  benevolence  and  gentleness,  are 


460       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

closed  in  death  ;  we  almost  look  for  the  pleasant  smile 
that  brought  out  more  vividly  the  earnest  cast  of  his 
features,  which  were  serious  even  to  sadness.  A  few 
years  ago  he  was  a  village  attorney,  engaged  in  the 
support  of  a  rising  family,  unknown  to  fame,  scarcely 
named  beyond  his  neighborhood  ;  his  administration 
made  him  the  most  conspicuous  man  in  his  country, 
and  drew  on  him  first  the  astonished  gaze,  and  then 
the  respect  and  admiration  of  the  world. 

Those  who  come  after  us  will  decide  how  much  of 
the  wonderful  results  of  his  public  career  is  due  to  his 
own  good  common  sense,  his  shrewd  sagacity,  readiness 
of  wit,  quick  interpretation  of  the  public  mind,  his  rare 
combination  of  fixedness  and  pliancy,  his  steady  ten- 
dency of  purpose  ;  how  much  to  the  American  people, 
who,  as  he  walked  with  them  side  by  side,  inspired  him 
with  their  own  wisdom  and  energy ;  and  how  much  to 
the  overruling  laws  of  the  moral  world,  by  which  the 
selfishness  of  evil  is  made  to  defeat  itself.  But  after 
every  allowance,  it  will  remain  that  members  of  the 
government  which  preceded  his  administration  opened 
the  gates  to  treason,  and  he  closed  them  ;  that  when 
he  went  to  Washington  the  ground  on  which  he  trod 
shook  under  his  feet,  and  he  left  the  republic  on  a 
solid  foundation  ;  that  traitors  had  seized  public  forts 
and  arsenals,  and  he  recovered  them  for  the  United 
States,  to  whom  they  belonged ;  that  the  capital, 
which  he  found  the  abode  of  slaves,  is  now  the  home 
only  of  the  free  ;  that  the  boundless  public  domain 
which  was  grasped  at,  and,  in  a  great  measure,  held  for 
the  diffusion  of  slavery,  is  now  irrevocably  devoted  to 
freedom ;  that  men  then  talked  a  jargon  of  a  balance 


ORATION  BY  GEORGE  BANCROFT.         46 1 

of  power  in  a  republic  between  slave  States  and  free 
States,  and  now  the  foolish  words  are  blown  away  for- 
ever by  the  breath  of  Maryland,  Missouri,  and  Ten- 
nessee ;  that  a  terrible  cloud  of  political  heresy  rose 
from  the  abyss,  threatening  to  hide  the  light  of  the 
sun,  and  under  its  darkness  a  rebellion  was  growing 
into  indefinable  proportions ;  now  the  atmosphere  is 
purer  than  ever  before,  and  the  insurrection  is  vanish- 
ing away  ;  the  country  is  cast  into  another  mould,  and 
the  gigantic  system  of  wrong,  which  had  been  the 
work  of  more  than  two  centuries,  is  dashed  down,  we 
hope  forever.  And  as  to  himself,  personally:  he  was 
then  scoffed  at  by  the  proud  as  unfit  for  his  station, 
and  now,  against  usage  of  later  years,  and  in  spite  of 
numerous  competitors,  he  was  the  unbiassed  and  the 
undoubted  choice  of  the  American  people  for  a  second 
term  of  service.  Through  all  the  mad  business  of 
treason  he  retained  the  sweetness  of  a  most  placable 
disposition  ;  and  the  slaughter  of  myriads  of  the  best 
on  the  battle-field,  and  the  more  terrible  destruction  of 
our  men  in  captivity,  by  the  slow  torture  of  exposure 
and  starvation,  had  never  been  able  to  provoke  him 
into  harboring  one  vengeful  feeling,  or  one  purpose  of 
cruelty. 

How  shall  the  nation  most  completely  show  its  sorrow 
at  Mr.  Lincoln's  death  .?  How  shall  it  best  honor 
his  memory }  There  can  be  but  one  answer.  He  was 
struck  down  when  he  was  highest  in  its  service,  and, 
in  strict  conformity  with  duty,  was  engaged  in  carry- 
ing out  principles  affecting  its  life,  its  good  name,  and 
its  relations  to  the  cause  of  freedom  and  the  progress 
of  mankind.     Grief  must  take  the  character  of  action, 


463       PIOXEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

and  breathe  itself  forth  in  the  assertion  of  the  policy 
to  which  he  fell  a  victim.  The  standard  which  he  held 
in  his  hand  must  be  uplifted  again  higher  and  more 
firmly  than  before,  and  must  be  carried  on  to  triumph. 

Above  everything  else,  his  proclamation  of  the  first 
day  of  January,  1863,  declaring,  throughout  the  parts 
of  the  country  in  rebellion,  the  freedom  of  all  persons 
who  had  been  held  as  slaves,  must  be  affirmed  and 
maintained. 

Events,  as  they  rolled  onward,  have  removed  every 
doubt  of  the  legality  and  binding  force  of  that  procla- 
mation. The  country  and  the  rebel  government  have 
each  laid  claim  to  the  public  service  of  the  slave,  and 
yet  but  one  of  the  two  can  have  a  rightful  claim  to 
such  service.  That  rightful  claim  belongs  to  the 
United  States,  because  every  one  born  on  their  soil, 
with  the  few  exceptions  of  the  children  of  travellers 
and  transient  residents,  owes  them  a  primary  al- 
legiance. Every  one  so  born  has  been  counted  among 
those  represented  in  Congress  ;  every  slave  has  ever 
been  represented  in  Congress  ;  imperfectly  and  wrong- 
fully, it  may  be,  —  but  still  has  been  counted  and 
represented.  The  slave  born  on  our  soil  always  owed 
allegiance  to  the  general  government.  It  may  in  time 
past  have  been  a  qualified  allegiance,  manifested 
through  his  master,  as  the  allegiance  of  a  ward 
through  its  guardian,  or  an  infant  through  its  parent. 
But  when  the  master  became  false  to  his  allegiance, 
the  slave  stood  face  to  face  with  his  country  ;  and 
his  allegiance,  which  may  before  have  been  a  qualified 
one,  became  direct  and  immediate.  His  chains  fell 
off,  and  he  rose  at  once  in  the  presence  of  the  nation, 


ORATION  BY  GEORGE  BANCROFT.         4^3 

bound,  like  the  rest  of  us,  to  its  defence.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's proclamation  did  not  take  notice  of  the  already 
existins:  ri^rht  of  the  bondman  to  freedom.  The 
treason  of  the  master  made  it  a  public  crime  for  the 
slave  to  continue  his  obedience ;  the  treason  of  a 
State  set  free  the  collective  bondmen  of  that  State. 

This  doctrine  is  supported  by  the  analogy  of  prece- 
dents. In  the  times  of  feudalism,  the  treason  of  the 
lord  of  the  manor  deprived  him  of  his  serfs ;  the 
spurious  feudalism  that  existed  among  us  differs  in 
many  respects  from  the  feudalism  of  the  middle  ages, 
but  so  far  the  precedent  runs  parallel  with  the  present 
case ;  for  treason  the  master  then,  for  treason  the 
master  now,  loses  his  slaves. 

In  the  middle  ages,  the  sovereign  appointed  another 
lord  over  the  serfs  and  the  land  which  they  cultivated  ; 
in  our  day,  the  sovereign  makes  them  masters  of  their 
own  persons,  lords  over  themselves. 

It  has  been  said  that  we  are  at  war,  and  that  eman- 
cipation is  not  a  belligerent  right.  The  objection 
disappears  before  analysis.  In  a  war  between  inde- 
pendent powers,  the  invading  foreigner  invites  to  his 
standard  all  who  will  give  him  aid,  whether  bond  or 
free,  and  he  rewards  them  according  to  his  ability  and 
his  pleasure,  with  gifts  or  freedom  :  but  when  at  a 
peace  he  withdraws  from  an  invaded  country,  he  must 
take  his  aiders  and  comforters  with  him  :  or,  if  he 
leaves  them  behind,  where  he  has  no  court  to  enforce 
liis  decrees,  he  can  give  them  no  security,  unless  it  be 
by  the  stipulations  of  a  treaty.  In  a  civil  war,  it  is 
altogether  different.  There,  when  rebellion  is  crushed, 
the  old  government  is  restored,  and  its  courts  resume 


464       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

their  jurisdiction.  So  it  is  with  us;  the  United  States 
have  courts  of  their  own,  that  must  punish  the  guilt 
of  treason,  and  vindicate  the  freedom  of  persons  whom 
the  fact  of  rebelUon  has  set  free. 

Nor  may  it  be  said,  that  because  slavery  existed  in 
most  of  the  States  when  the  Union  was  formed,  it 
cannot  rightfully  be  interfered  with  now.  A  change 
has  taken  place,  such  as  Madison  foresaw,  and  for 
which  he  pointed  out  the  remedy.  The  constitutions 
of  States  had  been  transformed  before  the  plotters  of 
treason  carried  them  away  into  rebellion.  When  the 
Federal  Constitution  was  framed,  general  emancipation 
was  thought  to  be  near  ;  and  everywhere  the  respective 
legislatures  had  authority,  in  the  exercise  of  their  ordi- 
nary functions,  to  do  away  with  slavery.  Since  that  time 
the  attempt  has  been  made,  in  what  are  called  slave 
States,  to  render  the  condition  of  slavery  perpetual ; 
and  events  have  proved,  with  the  clearness  of  demon- 
stration, that  a  constitution  which  seeks  to  continue  a 
caste  of  hereditary  bondsmen  through  endless  gener- 
ations is  inconsistent  with  the  existence  of  republican 
institutions. 

So,  then,  the  new  President  and  the  people  of  the 
United  States  must  insist  that  the  proclamation  of 
freedom  shall  stand  as  a  reality.  And,  moreover,  the 
people  must  never  cease  to  insist  that  the  Constitution 
shall  be  so  amended  as  to  utterly  prohibit  slavery  on 
any  part  of  our  soil  for  evermore. 

Alas !  that  a  State  in  our  vicinity  should  withhold 
its  assent  to  this  last  beneficent  measure :  its  refusal 
was  an  encouragement  to  our  enemies  equal  to  the 
gain  of  a  pitched  battle  ;  and  delays  the  only  hopeful 


ORATION  BY  GEORGE  BANCROFT.         465 

method  of  pacification.  The  removal  of  the  cause  of 
the  rebellion  is  not  only  demanded  by  justice  ;  it  is 
the  policy  of  mercy,  making  room  for  a  wider  clem- 
ency ;  it  is  the  part  of  order  against  a  chaos  of  con- 
troversy ;  its  success  brings  with  it  true  reconcilement, 
a  lasting  peace,  a  continuous  growth  of  confidence 
throu2:h  an  assimilation  of  the  social  condition. 

Here  is  the  fitting  expression  of  the  mourning  of 
to-day. 

And  let  no  lover  of  his  country  say  that  this  warning 
is  uncalled  for.  The  cry  is  delusive  that  slavery  is 
dead.  Even  now  it  is  nerving  itself  for  a  fresh  strug- 
gle for  continuance.  The  last  winds  from  the  South 
waft  to  us  the  sad  intelligence  that  a  man  who  had 
surrounded  himself  with  the  glory  of  the  most  brilliant 
and  most  varied  achievements,  who  but  a  week  ago 
was  counted  with  affectionate  pride  among  the  great- 
est benefactors  of  his  country  and  the  ablest  generals 
of  his  time,  has  initiated  the  exercise  of  more  than  the 
whole  power  of  the  Executive,  and,  under  the  name  of 
peace,  has,  perhaps  unconsciously,  revived  slavery,  and 
given  the  hope  of  security  and  political  power  to 
traitors,  from  the  Chesapeake  to  the  Rio  Grande. 
Why  could  he  not  remember  the  dying  advice  of 
Washington,  never  to  draw  the  sword  but  for  self- 
defence  or  the  rights  of  his  country,  and,  when  drawn, 
never  to  sheathe  it  till  its  work  should  be  accomplished } 
And  yet,  from  this  ill-considered  act,  which  the  people 
with  one  united  voice  condemn,  no  great  evil  will 
follow  save  the  shadow  on  his  own  fame  ;  and  that, 
also,  we  hope  will  pass  away.  The  individual,  even  in 
the  greatness   of   military  glory,  sinks  into   insignifi- 


466       PIONEER  HOME   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

cance  before  the  resistless  movements  of  ideas  in  the 
history  of  man.  No  one  can  turn  back  or  stay  the 
march  of  Providence. 

No  sentiment  of  despair  may  mix  with  our  sorrow. 
We  owe  it  to  the  memory  of  the  dead,  we  owe  to  the 
cause  of  popular  liberty  throughout  the  world,  that  the 
sudden  crime  which  has  taken  the  life  of  the  President 
of  the  United  States  shall  not  produce  the  least  im- 
pediment in  the  smooth  course  of  public  affairs.  This 
great  city,  in  the  midst  of  unexampled  emblems  of 
deeply-seated  grief,  has  sustained  itself  with  com- 
posure and  magnanimity.  It  has  nobly  done  its  part 
in  guarding  against  the  derangement  of  business  or 
the  slightest  shock  to  public  credit.  The  enemies  of 
the  republic  put  it  to  the  severest  trial ;  but  the  voice 
of  faction  has  not  been  heard  ;  doubt  and  despondency 
have  been  unknown.  In  serene  majesty,  the  country 
rises  in  the  beauty,  and  strength,  and  hope  of  youth, 
and  proves  to  the  world  the  quiet  energy  and  the 
durability  of  institutions  growing  out  of  the  reason 
and  affections  of  the  people. 

Heaven  has  willed  it  that  the  United  States  shall 
live.  The  nations  of  the  earth  cannot  spare  them. 
All  the  worn-out  aristocracies  of  Europe  saw  in  the 
spurious  feudalism  of  slaveholding  their  strongest 
outpost,  and  banded  themselves  together  with  the 
deadly  enemies  of  our  national  life.  If  the  Old  World 
will  discuss  the  respective  advantages  of  oligarch  or 
equality  ;  of  the  union  of  church  and  state,  or  the 
rightful  freedom  of  religion  ;  of  land  accessible  to  the 
many,  or  of  land  monopolized  by  an  ever-decreasing 
number  of  the  few,  —  the  United  States  must  live  to 


ORATION  BY  GEORGE  BANCROFT.         467 

control  the  decision  by  their  quiet  and  unobtrusive 
example.  It  has  often  and  truly  been  observed,  that 
the  trust  and  affection  of  the  masses  gather  naturally 
round  an  individual ;  if  the  inquiry  is  made,  whether 
the  man  so  trusted  and  beloved  shall  elicit  from  the 
reason  of  the  people  enduring  institutions  of  their 
own,  or  shall  sequester  political  power  for  a  superin- 
tending dynasty,  the  United  States  must  live  to  solve 
the  problem.  If  a  question  is  raised  on  the  respective 
merits  of  Timoleon  or  Julius  Caesar,  or  of  Washington 
or  Napoleon,  the  United  States  must  be  there  to 
call  to  mind  that  there  were  twelve  Caesars,  most  of 
them  the  opprobrium  of  the  human  race,  and  to  con- 
trast with  them  the  line  of  American  Presidents. 

The  duty  of  the  hour  is  incomplete,  our  mourning 
is  insincere,  if,  while  we  express  unwavering  trust  in 
the  great  principles  that  underlie  our  government,  we 
do  not  also  give  our  support  to  the  man  to  whom  the 
people  have  entrusted  its  administration. 

Andrew  Johnson  is  now,  by  the  Constitution,  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  he  stands  before 
the  world  as  the  most  conspicuous  representative  of 
the  industrial  classes.  Left  an  orphan  at  four  years 
old,  poverty  and  toil  were  his  steps  to  honor.  His 
youth  was  not  passed  in  the  halls  of  colleges ;  never- 
theless, he  has  received  a  thorough  political  education 
in  statesmanship,  in  the  school  of  the  people,  and  by 
long  experience  of  public  life.  A  village  functionary ; 
member  successively  of  each  branch  of  the  Tennessee 
Legislature,  hearing  with  a  thrill  of  joy  the  words, 
"  The  Union,  it  must  be  preserved ;  "  a  representative 
in  Congress  for  successive  years ;    governor   of   the 


468       PIONEER  HOME    TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

great  State  of  Tennessee,  approved  as  its  governor  by 
re-election  ;  he  was  at  the  opening  of  the  rebellion 
a  senator  from  that  State  in  Congress.  Then  at  the 
Capitol,  when  senators,  unrebuked  by  the  government, 
sent  word  by  telegram  to  seize  forts  and  arsenals,  he 
alone  of  that  southern  region  told  them  what  the 
government  did  not  dare  to  tell  them,  that  they  were 
traitors,  and  deserved  the  punishment  of  treason. 
Undismayed  by  a  perpetual  purpose  of  public  enemies 
to  take  his  life,  bearing  up  against  the  still  greater 
trial  of  the  persecution  of  his  wife  and  children,  in 
due  time  he  went  back  to  his  State,  determined  to 
restore  it  to  the  Union,  or  die  with  the  American  flag 
for  his  winding-sheet.  And  now,  at  the  call  of  the 
United  States,  he  has  returned  to  Washington  as  a 
conqueror,  with  Tennessee  as  a  free  State  for  his 
trophy.  It  remains  for  him  to  consummate  the  vindi- 
cation of  the  Union. 

To  that  Union  Abraham  Lincoln  has  fallen  a  mar- 
tyr. His  death,  which  was  meant  to  sever  it  beyond 
repair,  binds  it  more  closely  and  more  firmly  than  ever. 
The  blow  aimed  at  him  was  aimed  not  at  the  native  of 
Kentucky,  not  at  the  citizen  of  Illinois,  but  at  the 
man,  who,  as  President  in  the  executive  branch  of  the 
government,  stood  as  the  representative  of  every  man 
in  the  United  States.  The  object  of  the  crime  was 
the  life  of  the  whole  people ;  and  it  wounds  the 
affections  of  the  whole  people.  From  Maine  to  the 
southwest  boundary  of  the  Pacific,  it  makes  us  one. 
The  country  may  have  needed  an  imperishable  grief  to 
touch  its  inmost  feeling.  The  grave  that  receives  the 
remains  of  Lincoln,  receives  the  costly  sacrifice  to  the 


ORATION  BY  GEORGE  BANCROFT.         469 


Union ;  the  monument  which  will  rise  over  his  body 
will  bear  witness  to  the  Union  ;  his  enduring  memory 
will  assist  during  countless  ages  to  bind  the  States 
together,  and  to  incite  to  the  love  of  our  one  un- 
divided, indivisible  country.  Peace  to  the  ashes  of 
our  departed  friend,  the  friend  of  his  country  and  of 
his  race.  He  was  happy  in  his  life,  for  he  was  the 
restorer  of  the  republic  :  he  was  happy  in  his  death, 
for  his  martyrdom  will  plead  forever  for  the  Union  of 
the  States  and  the  freedom  of  man. 


BOSTON   STEREOTYPE   FOCNDRT, 

No.  4  Pearl  Street. 


^  ^    (  //^^  ^-^^  v5- 


■V 


FROM 


LOG-CABIN 


TO 


THE    WHITE    HOUSE. 


LIFE   OF 


JAMES  A.  GARFIELD: 

BOYHOOD,  YOUTH,  MANHOOD,  ASSASSINATION,  DEATH, 

FUNERAL. 


BY 

WILLIAM  M.  THAYER, 

AUTHOR   OF   "  FROM   PIONEER    HOME  TO   THE   WHITE   HOUSE,"   ETC. 

By    HON.  JAMES    G.   BLAINE. 


NORWICH,  CONN.: 

THE   HENRY   BILL   PUBLISHING   COMPANY. 

C.   C.   WICK   &   CO.,   CLEVELAND,   O. 

1S82. 


Copyright,  1882, 
By  William  M.  Thayer. 

All  Bights  Reserved. 


Boston  Stkreotype  Foundry, 

4   I'EAUL   StKEET. 


TO 


ALL    WHO    HONOR    TRUE    MANHOOD, 

PORTRAYING  THE  INDUSTRY,  COURAGE,  DECISION,  ENERGY, 

PERSEVERANCE,  AND  NOBLE  CHARACTER 

OF  THE  LATE  PRESIDENT 

JAMES     A.    GARFIELD, 

IN  HIS   EARLY   STRUGGLES   FOR   A  LIVELIHOOD   AND   EDUCATION, 
AND   HIS  GRAND   PUBLIC   CAREER, 

5s  Stncerelg  anti  ^ffcctionatclg  DrtiicatcU. 


PREFACE. 


Eighteen  years  ago  the  author  prepared  a  book 
for  youth  and  young  men  upon  the  life  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  entitled  The  Pioneer  Boy,  and  how  he 
BECAME  President.  The  favorable  reception  of  that 
volume  carried  it  through  thirty-six  editions.  After 
the  nomination  of  General  Garfield  for  the  presi- 
dency, it  was  thought  that  a  similar  work  upon  his 
life  would  furnish  one  of  the  noblest  examples  of 
success  to  all  who  honor  true  manhood. 

With  the  plan  of  making  the  volume  not  a  work 
for  the  campaign,  but  a  standard  volume  for  the 
family  for  the  years  to  come,  months  were  employed 
in  gathering  and  preparing  the  material. 

The  materials  for  the  work  were  furnished  by 
General  Garfield ;  several  of  his  early  associates, 
two  of  whom  were  born  in  log-cabins  near  him  ; 
several  of  his  teachers  and  pupils  ;  the  owner  and 
captain  of  the  canal-boat  on  which  he  served  ;  and 
intimate  friends  of  his  manhood,  —  the  most  reliable 
sources  of  information  possible.  The  materials  for- 
cibly impressed  us  with  the  similarity  between  the 
lives  of  President  Lincoln  and  President  Garfield. 


6  PREFACE. 

Both  of  these  statesmen  were  born  in  log-cabins, 
built  by  their  fathers,  in  the  wilderness,  for  family 
homes.  Both  were  poor  as  mortals  can  well  be. 
Both  were  born  with  talents  of  the  highest  order ; 
but  neither  enjoyed  early  advantages  of  schools  and 
teachers.  At  eight  years  of  age  Lincoln  lost  his 
mother ;  and  when  Garfield  was  eighteen  months 
old  he  lost  his  father.  Both  worked  on  a  farm, 
chopped  wood,  and  did  whatever  else  was  needful 
for  a  livelihood,  when  eight  years  of  age.  Both 
improved  every  leisure  moment  in  study  and  read- 
ing. Both  read  all  the  books  that  could  be  borrowed 
for  miles  around  ;  and  each  was  known,  in  his  own 
township  and  time,  as  a  boy  of  remarkable  mental 
ability  and  promise.  Both  of  them  early  displayed 
great  tact  and  energy,  turning  a  hand  to  any  kind  of 
labor,  —  farming,  chopping,  teaming,  carpentering. 
In  his  youth,  Lincoln  ran  a  fiat-boat  down  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  rivers  to  New  Orleans,  eighteen  hun- 
dred miles,  on  a  trading  expedition  ;  Garfield,  at 
about  the  same  age,  served  on  a  boat  of  the  Ohio 
and  Pennsylvania  Canal,  driving  mules  and  acting 
as  steersman.  Both  were  well  known  for  their  in- 
dustry, tact,  perseverance,  integrity,  courage,  econ- 
omy, thoroughness,  punctuality,  decision,  and  benevo- 
lence. Both  taught  school  in  the  backwoods  as  soon 
as  they  knew  enough  to  teach.  Each  of  them  studied 
law  when  pursuing  another  vocation  for  a  livelihood, 


PREFACE.  7 

—  Lincoln  a  surveyor,  and  Garfield  a  teacher.  Each 
became  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  his  native 
State  before  thirty  years  of  age.  Both  served  the 
country  in  war,  when  about  the  same  age,  —  Lincoln 
in  the  "Black  Hawk  War,"  and  Garfield  in  the  *' War 
of  the  Rebellion."  Each  was  the  youngest  member 
of  the  legislature,  and  the  youngest  officer  in  the 
army  when  he  served.  The  talents  and  eloquence  of 
both  made  them  members  of  Congress,  —  Lincoln 
at  thirty-seven  years  of  age,  and  Garfield  at  thirty- 
three  ;  each  one  of  them  being  the  youngest  mem- 
ber of  the  House  of  Representatives  at  the  time. 
Both  of  them  took  high  rank  at  once  as  debaters 
and  eloquent  speakers,  as  well  as  stalwart  opposers 
of  slavery.  Both,  also,  won  a  reputation  for  wit 
and  humor  and  geniality,  making  them  popular  with 
both  sides  of  the  House.  Neither  of  them  were 
candidates  in  the  National  Conventions  that  nomi- 
nated them  for  the  Presidency,  —  both  were  com- 
promise candidates  when  it  became  apparent  that 
union  could  be  secured  upon  no  others.  Their  names 
were  introduced  amid  the  wildest  enthusiasm  ;  thou- 
sands cheering,  hats  swinging,  handkerchiefs  waving, 
and  the  bands  playing  national  airs.  The  nomination 
of  each  was  hailed  with  demonstrations  of  joy  through- 
out the  country. 

And  now,  the  most  remarkable  of  all  coincidences 
in  their  lives  we   record  with  sadness,  —  both   died 


8  PREFACE, 

in  the  Presidential  office  by  the  assassin's  shot. 
History  has  no  parallel  for  this  amazing  fact.  We 
search  in  vain  the  annals  of  all  countries  for  a  kin- 
dred record.  Beginning  life  in  the  obscurity  of  the 
wilderness,  and  ending  it  on  the  summit  of  renown ! 
Their  first  home  a  log  cabin !  their  last^  the  White 
House  !  Beloved  by  a  trusting  nation,  and  shot  by 
the  assassin ! 

A  more  inspiring  example  to  study  and  imitate 
cannot  be  found  in  the  annals  of  our  Republic.  As 
a  model  of  whatever  belongs  to  noble  traits  of  char- 
acter, heroic  achievements,  and  the  highest  success 
fairly  won,  we  present  him  in  this  book. 

w.   M.   T. 
Franklin,  Mass.,  1882. 


Note.  —  This  book  has  been  revised,  greatly  enlarged,  and 
embellished  with  new  portraits  and  illustrations,  and  is  printed 
from  new  electrotype  plates. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL. 

School  opens — James  must  go  —  The  Elder  Brother  —  What 
James  knew  —  Light  of  Home  —  How  to  get  James  to 
School  — Who  was  Mehetabel  ?  —  Carrying  James  to  School 
on  her  Back  —  How  this  Family  came  in  woods  of  Ohio  — 
Ancestors  of  James  —  Thomas  and  Abram  Garfield  — 
Widow  Ballou  —  Abram  and  Eliza  —  Moving  West  —  The 
Journey  described  — Abram  going  West  —  Meeting  Eliza  — 
Married  —  Bride  taken  to  Log-Cabin  —  Description  of 
Cabin  —  Buys  Tract  in  Orange  —  Removes  there  in  1S30  — 
Description  of  the  New  Cabin  — Abram  Garfield  described 

—  "  Fire  in  the  Forest "  —  Sickness  and  Death  in  the  Cabin 

—  Funeral  —  Grave  in  the  Wheat-field  —  Pleasing  Incident 
Winter  of  Desolation  —  Loneliness  and  Want  .     .     .     Page  23 


CHAPTER   H. 

BEFORE   SCHOOL-DAYS. 

Advice  of  a  Neighbor — What  can  be  done  —  Advice  from 
Above  —  Decided  to  remain  —  Thomas  to  run  the  Farm  — 
Progress  of  Farming  —  Wolf  of  Hunger  at  the  Door  —  Two 
Meals  a  Day  —  One  Meal  a  Day — The  first  Harvest  —  Mrs. 
Garfield's  History  —  Many  Ministers  and  Talented  Men  in 
the  Family — James'  First  Pair  of  Shoes  —  Shoemakers  of 
that  day  Itinerant  —  A  Christian   Couple — Creed  of  the 

Disciples  —  A  Christian  home 37 

(9) 


lO  COXTENTS. 


CHAPTER   III. 

GETTING   ON. 

The  Spinning-wheel  —  Coming  Home  from  School  —  Com- 
ments on  the  School  —  Ohio  Schools  described  —  What 
Books  in  the  Family  —  The  Locality  of  the  School-house 
described  — Chagrin  Falls  — James  inquisitive  —  Question- 
ing the  Scholars  on  the  Bible  —  His  remarkable  Memory 

—  Sharp  Observation  —  Great  Imitator  —  The  Winter 
School — James  did  not  go — Long  Evenings  in  the  Cabin 

—  James'  Mother  teaching  him  —  The  child's  Volume  — 
The  New  Idea  of  Rain — Great  Reader  —  The  English- 
reader —  Revels  in  books 47 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TRIALS  AND  TRIUMPHS. 

New  School-house  —  The  Plan  accomplished  —  Teacher 
from  New  Hampshire  —  His  Appearance — "Boarding 
round"  —  Making  a  General  of  James  —  What  is  a  Gen- 
eral ? —  The  Revolution — His  Great-grandfather  in  War 

—  A  Wonderful  Revelation  to  him  —  Relations  between 
Teacher  and  James  —  The  Strict  Rule  —  Trying  to  Sit  Still 

—  A  Failure  —  Mother's  Disappointment  —  The  Teacher's 
New  Idea  —  The  New  Trial  and  Results  —  Interview  with 
Mrs.  Garfield — James  Nervous  and  Restive  —  Kicking  off 
the  Clothes  in  Peace  —  Kicking  off  the  Clothes  in  War  — 
Best  Scholar  —  Won  the  Testament  —  Result  of  Being 
Himself — The  Spelling-club  and  Spelling-matches.     .     .      57 


CHAPTER  V. 

BOY   FARMER. 

James  at  Farming  —  More  Money  needed —  Plans  suggested 

—  Teaching  in  View  —  The  "I  Cans" — Swallowing  the 
Egg — His  Self-reliance  —  William  Carey,  the  Missionary 

—  Not  Egotism  or  Pride  —  "  Where  there's  a  Will,  there's 


CONTENTS.  1 1 


a  Way"  —  "God  helps  those  who  help  themselves"  — 
*' Self-made,  or  never  made" — What  a  Statesman  said  — 
What  James  said  Forty  Years  After —  Playing  in  School, 
and  sent  Home — The  Humorous  side  —  Enlarging  the 
Log-Cabin yi 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SUNDAY  IN  THE  WOODS. 

Need  of  Sabbath  in  Woods  —  A  Revelation  to  James  —  Meet- 
ing-houses and  Sabbath  Bells —  Pioneer  Meetings  —  How 
Families  went  to  Meeting  —  Itinerant  Preachers  described 
—  Sunday  in  the  Garfield  Cabin  —  The  Bible  its  Preacher 
— James  wants  to  know  where  it  came  from — Joseph's 
Coat  of  many  Colors  a  Puzzle  —  His  singular  Inquisitive- 
ness — Influence  of  the  Bible  on  him  —  The  Temperance 
Reform — James'  first  Lessons  in  Temperance — Taught 
Loyalty  to  Country  —  Bravery  in  doing  Right  —  The  Den 
of  Lions  —  The  Garfield  Coat-of-arms  —  Moral  Heroism  of 
his  Home  —  Religious  Controversies  —  Baptism  —  Effect 
on  James  —  A  Whig  not  Baptized 8i 


CHAPTER  VII. 

HIGHER  UP. 

Change  for  Thomas— James'  Interest  — Twenty-one  —  Emi- 
gration to  Michigan  —James  must  Run  Farm  in  place  of 
Thomas  —  A  Lonely  Cabin  —The  Scenery  about  James' 
Hom.e  —  Speculation  and  Thomas  in  Michigan — James 
Runs  the  Farm  —  Poverty  and  Happiness  —  Hardships  — 
Ignorance  is  Bliss  —  Work  is  not  Hardship  for  James  — 
Exchanging  Work  —  Pioneers  need  Wisdom  —  Change  of 
fourteen  Years —  Efficiency  of  James  on  the  Farm  —  The 
Farm  his  Teacher  — George  Stephenson  —  Manhood  De- 
veloping—Thoughts of  an  Education  —  Man  devising, 
God  Directing  his  Steps 95 


12  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BOY  CARPENTER. 

Tom  coming  Home  —  Big  and  Little  Brother  —  Mother  and 
Son  —  Handful  of  Gold — James  wonders — His  Mother 
Overcome  —  The  Frame-house  —  What  James  can  do  — 
Mortising  and  Planing  —  Frame-houses  Small  and  Cheap 

—  Sharp  Observation  —  Elbow  Grease  —  The  Will  and 
Way — Raising  the  House  —  Driving  Nails  —  A  Failure 
and  its  Lessons  —  Orator  Mum  —  Pluck  and  Luck  —  Secret 
Purpose  carried  out  — Trying  —  A  Job  at  Carpenter's  Work 

—  One  Hundred  Boards  Planed  —  First  Money  earned — 

An  Hour  of  Triumph  — All  for  his  Mother io8 


CHAPTER   IX. 

BARN-BUILDING. 

The  Carpenter's  Call  —  Learning  to  Frame  a  Barn — The 
Price  — Doing  Things  Well  —  Knowing  certainly —  See- 
ing with  the  Brains  —  Plan  of  the  Barn  — Use  of  Plan  or 
System  —  The  Lord's  System  —  System  Indispensable  — 
The  Barn  Completed  —  Fifty  Cents  a  Day  —  How  im- 
proved Evenings  —  In  Advance  of  his  Teacher  —  An 
Incident  in  School  —  Reading  Robinson  Crusoe  —  Its  Im- 
pression —  Reading  Josephus  —  Refusal  to  Break  the  Sab- 
bath —  His  Bravery  to  resist  Wrong  —  Kindness  to  Animals 
and  his  Friend  David —  Defending  the  Little  Boy  — An- 
other Barn  Built— Same  Pay  —  At  School  —  Another 
Book,  "Alonzo  and  Melissa"  —  Growing  Aspirations  — 
Love  of  Sports  —A  Stalwart  Boy  —  Trip  to  Cleveland  — 
The  Bully  Beaten 127 

CHAPTER  X. 

A   BLACK-SALTER. 

Colloquy  — Weeding  Peppermint— "  Leading  the  Gang"  — 
Explanation  — The  Shed  Built  — The  Black-salter's  Pro- 
posal—  Going  Home  —  Colloquy  with  his  Mother  —  Be- 


CONTENTS.  13 


comes  a  Black-salter  —  What  his  Work  was  —  His  Fidel- 
ity—  Discovering  the  Cheat  —  Rough  Men — The  Pro- 
fane Man  rebuked  —  Bad  Books  in  the  House  —  "  Pirate's 
Own  Book,"  "  Marryat's  Novels,"  etc.  —  Worse  than  Da- 
mon's —  Bad  Effects  of  the  Books  —  Seeds  of  Evil  sown  — 
Wants  to  be  a  Sailor  —  Barton's  Confidence — James  Un- 
easy —  What  came  of  a  Beau  —  "  Hired  Servant "  —  How 
it  Aroused  James  —  Leaves  the  Saltery 148 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A  WOOD-CHOPPER. 

Home  for  Good  —  Talk  with  his  Mother  —  Wish  to  be  Some- 
body—  Tells  Mother  of  the  Sea  —  Getting  a  Job  —  Bar- 
gains to  Chop  a  Hundred  Cords  of  Wood  —  Boards  with 
his  Sister — Fair  View  of  Lake  Erie  —  The  German  Chop- 
ping—  Lesson  of  Application  and  Perseverance  —  Talk 
with  Sister  about  going  to  Sea  —  Two  Cords  cut  every 
Day  —  Books  at  Home  —  Reads  Evenings  —  Completes 
Job,  and  goes  Home  —  Works  four  Months  for  a  Farmer 
—  Haying  and  Harvesting  —  Discussion  on  Baptism  — 
Talk  with  Farmer  about  going  to  Sea  —  Forty-eight  Dol- 
lars Pay 164 


CHAPTER  Xn. 

A  CANAL  BOY. 

Dissatisfied  at  Home  —  Longing  for  the  Sea  —  A  Compro- 
mise—  Bound  for  Lake  Erie — Application  to  Captain  of 
a  Schooner — Horrible  Scene  —  The  Repulse  —  Musing  — 
Call  of  Captain  Letcher  —  James'  Surprise  and  Bargain  — 
The  Canal  Outfit  —  Boatmen  Rough  and  Ignorant  —  His 
first  Day  as  Driver — James  and  Mules  Tumble  into  Canal 
—  An  Exciting  Scene  —  The  Comical  View  of  it —  "  Eleven 
Miles  Lock" — James  Relieved —  Catechized  by  the  Cap- 
tain—  Captain  opposes  his  going  to  Sea  —  Advises  him 
to  Teach  School  —  Sets  James  to  Thinking 176 


14  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TRIUMPHS  ON  THE  TOW-PATH. 

Locks  of  Akron  —  Prospect  of  a  Fight  —  Capt.  Letcher's 
Call — Interference  of  James — His  Decision  for  Right 
triumphs  —  Scene  at  Breakfast  —  Scene  at  Beaver  —  Ac- 
cident to  Murphy  —  Attacks  James  —  Another  Triumph 
for  James  —  Harry  Brown  and  Whisky  — James'  Hostility 
to  Rum  and  Tobacco  —  Argument  with  Murphy  —  Brown's 
Estimate  of  James  —  The  Steersman's  Opinion  of  James  — 
James  promoted  to  be  Bowman  —  A  Peacemaker  —  The 
Captain's  Opinion  of  James  —  No  Books  —  Observation  — 
Fell  Fourteen  Times  into  the  Water  —  Last  Fall  into  the 
water  Perilous  —  ^liraculous  Deliverance  —  Good  Impres- 
sions of  it  —  Attacked  with  Ague  —  Goes  home  Sick  — 
Meeting  his  Mother 190 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  TURNING-POINT. 

Narrating  Experience  before  retiring  —  A  Pious  Mother —  Her 
sleepless,  joyful  Night  —  Better  next  Day  — Worse  again  — 
The  Doctor  called  —  Tossing  with  Fever  —  Letting  out  his 
Heart  —  A  Teacher  or  Preacher  —  Talk  on  Religion  — 
Winter  School  —  Bates  the  Teacher  —  Mrs.  Garfield's  wise 
Course  —  Mr.  Bates' Call — Desire  to  go  to  Sea  again  —  A 
Mother's  Tactics  —  No  T^Iystery  in  Desire  for  Seafaring 
Life  —  Two  Incidents  —  Growing  Morally — Final  De- 
cision to  get  an  Education  —  Turning-point  —  Great  Ques- 
tion settled  —  Pleasing  Interview  with  Dr.  Robinson  — 
One  poor  Suit  of  Clothes  —  Eleven  Dollars  all     ....     204 


CHAPTER  XV. 

GEAUGA   SEMINARY. 

On  the  Way  to  School  —  Outfit  —  Application  to  the  Princi- 
pal—  Hiring  a  Room  —  Boarding  themselves  —  A  Free- 
will Baptist  Institution  — A  New  Scene  for  James  —  Gram- 


CONTENTS.  15 


mar  Class  —  But  and  and — Contest  with  the  Teacher  — 
A  Qiieer  System  of  Grammar  —  Fun  for  the  Boys  —  Suc- 
cess of  James  at  Housekeeping  —  Looking  for  Work  —  Bar- 
gain with  a  Carpenter —  Works  before  and  after  School, 
and  on  Saturdays  —  The  School  Library  attractive  to 
James  —  Writing  Composition  —  First  Appearance  on  the 
Stage  —  Reading  the  Life  of  Henry  C.  Wright  —  A  Milk 
Diet  —  Paying  all  his  Bills  —  The  Debating  Society  — 
Foundation  of  his  Greatness  —  Henry  Wilson  —  Buxton 
—  Canning 219 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

AFTER  VACATION. 

Vacation  —  Building  a  Barn  for  his  Mother  —  A  Job  with  a 
Farmer — Behind  Time  —  Evening  Studies  —  The  Lonely 
Ninepence  —  Horace  Mann  —  Return  to  the  Seminary  — 
Giving  away  the  Ninepence  —  The  Milk  Diet  —  The  Re- 
sult—  A  better  Diet  sought  —  Fifty  Cents  a  Week  the 
Maximum  —  Talk  with  Principal  about  Teaching  School 
—  His  Qualifications  for  it — A  Scrape  among  the  Boys  — 
James  stands  up  for  the  Right  —  A  profitable  Term      .     .     232 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

KEEPING  SCHOOL. 

Looking  up  a  School  —  Too  Young  to  Teach  —  The  Norton 
District — Stopping  over-night  with  the  Family  —  Next 
Day's  Experience  —  Home  again,  Discouraged  —  His 
Mother's  View  of  it  —  Unexpected  Call  for  a  Teacher  — 
A  Providential  Offer  —  Consults  Uncle  Amos  —  The  wise 
Decision  —  Excitement  in  the  District  —  First  Day  of 
School  —  How  won  his  Pupils  —  Summing  up  of  the  Win- 
ter's Labor  —  Boarding  round  —  At  Home  on  Sundays  — 
Becomes  a  Christian  —  Returns  to  the  Seminary  —  Boards 
with  the  Carpenter — School-keeping  the  next  Winter  — 
Teaching  Geometry  —  How  his  Trousers  were  torn  and 
mended  —  Close  of  School 244 


1 6  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THIRD  YEAR  AT  SCHOOL. 

The  New  England  Graduate  —  A  College  Education  in  View 

—  How  a  Student  Works  his  way  in  College  —  His  De- 
cision—  Latin  and  Greek — Joining  the  Disciples'  Church 

—  His  Eloquence  — A  Born  Preacher  —  View  of  Teachers 
and  Scholars  —  Seeking  Work  —  Amusing  Incident  with 
a  Farmer  —  Work  and  Pay  —  A  Query  answered — The 
Anti-slavery  Conflict  —  His  Hatred  of  Slavery  —  Discus- 
sion against  Slavery  in  the  School  Lyceum  —  His  Com- 
panions Jubilant  over  his  Success  —  The  Charming  Young 
Lady  and  James — The  Student  of  Eclectic  Institute  — 
James  turned  to  it  —  Closing  Connection  with  Geauga 
Seminary  —  His  First  Oration — Journey  with  his  Mother 
to  Muskingum  County  —  First  Railroad  seen  —  State 
Capitol — James  Teaches  School  at  Harrison  —  Return 
Home 257 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   ECLECTIC   INSTITUTE, 

Application  to  Trustees  —  Colloquy  —  Engages  to  ring  the 
Bell  and  Sweep  Floors  —  Hiram  Described  —  Hinsdale's 
View  of  the  School  —  Interview  with  the  Principal  — 
Roomed  with  four  others  —  Promptness  —  Doing  things 
Well  —  Talk  with  his  Room-mate  —  Testimony  of  another 
Bell-ringer  —  A  woman's  Description  of  him  —  Most 
"Popular"  Student  —  Why  —  The  Library  and  Reading 
—  His  Plan  Explained  —  Importance  of  Reading  System- 
atically—  Letter  of  James  Six  or  Eight  Years  after  —  The 
Spirit  Stirring  within  him  —  Planting  Trees  on  the  Cam- 
pus, and  their  Names — A  Female  Student  Rebuked  — 
The  Joke  of  it  —  His  keen  Sense  of  Justice  —  A  Case    .     .     277 


CONTENTS.  17 


CHAPTER  XX. 

STUDENT  AND  TEACHER. 

Promoted  to  Teacher  —  Words  of  President  Hinsdale  — 
Shingling  a  House — James  as  a  Worker  —  Extent  of  his 
Carpenter  Work  —  Class  of  Three  in  Geometry  —  Miss 
Booth  —  In  Class  with  Miss  Booth  —  Their  studies  —  What 
they  Accomplished  —  A  Tribute  to  her  —  Discussing  his 
Thesis  all  Night  —  The  Vacation  Literary  Society  —  Relig- 
ious Life  —  Father  Bentley — James  Preaching  —  Amusing 
Anecdote  —  As  Public  Speaker  —  In  the  Lyceum  —  Fugi- 
tive-slave Bill  —  Miss  Rudolph  again — An  Important 
Step  —  In  Social  Life  Valued  —  Proficient  in  Mezzotint 
Drawing  —  Versatility  —  Popularity  as  a  Teacher  —  Hins- 
dale's Testimony  —  Other  Witnesses  —  Bethany  or  Wil- 
liams College  —  His  Decision,  and  Why  —  How  the  Money 
came  —  Summary  of  his  Work  at  Hiram 292 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

IN  COLLEGE. 

Appearance  before  Dr.  Hopkins  —  The  Hand-shake  —  Im- 
pressions of  Dr.  H.  — Enters  Junior  Class —  Spent  Vaca- 
tion in  Library  —  Grand  Scenery  —  Explorations  —  Im- 
pression he  first  Made  on  the  Students  —  An  Accurate 
Scholar — Sticking  to  Things — In  role  of  Debater  — 
Testimony  of  a  Classmate  as  to  Standing  —  German  — 
College  Games  —  Williams  Quarterly  —  His  Poem  — 
Teaching  Penmanship  in  Vacation  —  Next  Vacation  in 
New  York  —  Teacher  and  Preacher  —  Offered  Post  in  Troy 
High  School — Arguments  For  and  Against  —  The  Suit 
of  Clothes  —  Trouble  about  Money  —  Help  Found  —  Visit 
to  his  Mother  —  Anti-slavery  Excitement  —  Charles  Sum- 
ner—  Goodrich's  Speech  —  Garfield's  Speech  on  Fremont 
—  A  greater  one  on  Assault  upon  Sumner  —  Reading  — 
Graduates  with  Highest  Honor  —  Testimony  of  Dr.  Hop- 
kins and  President  Chadbourne 312 


1 8  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

RETURN   TO    HIRAM. 

Teacher  of  Ancient  Languages  and  Literature  —  Only  Eight 
Years  from  Tow-path  —  His  Ambition  —  Heart  at  Hiram  — 
At  Head  of  Institution  —  Principal  —  "  Capturing  Bojs" 

—  Garfield's  Account  of  two  —  What  President  Hinsdale 
savs  — The  Soiled  Place  on  the  Wall  — The  Task  and  Les- 
son from  it  —  Studying  under  Compulsion  —  Punctuality 
and  Promptness  —  Preaching  and  Practice  —  Amusing 
scene  —  The  Turning-point  of  Life  —  His  Numerous  Lect- 
ures —  Debate  with  Denton  —  Testimony  of  Rev.  J.  L. 
Darsie  —  Lectures  on  Teaching  —  The  Drama  —  An  Im- 
personator—  Speeches — Studied  Law  —  A  Preacher  — 
Married  Nov.  ii,  185S  —  The  Books  he  valued  —  Com- 
mencement and  Roughs —  More  from  Mr.  Darsie     .     .     .     330 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

FROM    PEACE    TO    WAR. 

Impressed  into  Public  Life — Speeches  for  Fremont — Stu- 
dent for  Companion  —  Reply  to  Democratic  Orator  —  Dis- 
cussion with  Hart  —  Offer  to  send  him  to  the  Legislature 

—  Delivers  Oration  at  Williams  College  —  His  Trip  — 
Offer  of  the  State  Senatorship  —  Conference  with  Faculty 
and  Trustees  —  Nomination,  Speech, and  Election — Taking 
his  Seat  —  Cox  and  Monroe  —  Ranked  High  at  once  — 
Hinsdale's  Estimate  —  Rise  of  Ten  Years  —  Incipient  Re- 
bellion in  '61  —  His  Courage,  Ability,  and  Eloquence  — 
Abjured  "Peace  Measures"  —  Advocated  Fighting  —  War 
Inevitable — His  Trumpet-call  —  Tslission  to  Missouri  — 
Organizing  Regiments  —  Accepts  Colonelcy  —  Made  Brig- 
adier-General —  Made  Major-General  —  Incidents  —  Bible 
and  Decision  —  Organizer  —  Promptness  —  The  Scout  — 
Harry  Brown  —  Scout  returns  —  The  Hiram  Students  — 
Hard  Battle  —  The  Dying  Boy  —  Narrow  Escapes  —  Lin- 
coln and  Garfield — Taking  Supplies  up  Sandy  Valley  — 
More  of  Harry  —  Fearful  Ride  from  Rosecrans  to  Thomas 

—  The  Fugitive  Slave 34^ 


CONTENTS,  19 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

TOP    OF    THE    LADDER. 

Successor  of  Giddings  in  Congress  —  President  Lincoln's 
desire  —  Still  an  officer  of  Hiram  College  —  Opposes  boun- 
ties in  Congress  —  Approval  of  Secretary  Chase  —  Lin- 
coln with  him  —  Eloquent  reply  to  Alexander  Long  — 
Criticizes  Lincoln's  policy  —  His  bold  position  before  Con- 
stituents —  Opposing  the  Greenback  Movement  —  Plain 
words  to  his  Constituents  —  President  Lincoln  Assassi- 
nated —  Scene  in  New  York  —  Garfield's  wonderful  Speech 
and  its  effect — His  scholarship  in  Congress  —  Estimate 
of  Townsend,  Hinsdale,  Smalley,  and  others  —  His  telling 
Maxims  —  Elected  United  States  Senator — His  Speech  — 
Hinsdale's  Eulogy  —  Last  round  of  Ladder  but  one  — 
National  Republican  Convention  —  Nominated  for  the 
Presidency — Joy  over  his  Nomination  —  His  Election  — 
Top  of  the  Ladder ^77 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE. 

His  Inauguration,  March  4,  18S1  —  Snow  Storm  —  Crowd  of 
Visitors — His  Fame  —  Meeting  with  Twenty  of  his  Class- 
mates the  Night  before  —  Speech  of  Mr.  Garfield— A 
Hundred  Thousand  People  Present  —  Large  Number  of 
Dignitaries  —  Preparations  at  the  White  House  — Moving 
to  the  Capitol  —  An  Imposing  Scene  —  Scene  in  the  Senate 
Chamber  —  Diplomatic  Corps  —  Proceeding  to  Platform  at 
the  East  Front  —  Inaugural  Address  —  Kisses  the  Bible, 
his  Aged  Mother,  and  Wife  —  Grand  Military  and  Civic 
Display  —  Description  by  an  Eye-witness  —  Reviewed  by 
the  President  —  His  Reception  to  the  Williams  College 
Alumni  —  The  Joyful  Evening  —  His  Administration  Aus- 
piciously Begun  —  Embarrassed  by  a  Democratic  Congress 
—  Opposition  of  Senator  Conkling  and  its  Results  —  The 
People  with  the  President  —  Contest  in  the  New  York 
Legislature  —  The  President  Sustained 395 


20  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

ASSASSINATION. 

Shot  of  the  Assassin,  July  2  —  Scene  at  the  Depot —  His  Tele- 
gram to  his  Wife  —  Sad  Tidings  Spread  —  Europe  and 
America  Startled  —  Words  of  Curtis  —  Removal  to  the 
White  House  —  The  President's  Salute  to  Friends  —  His 
Conversation  —  His  Cheerfulness  —  "I  am  Ready  to  Go '* 
—  His  -wife  at  Long  Branch  —  Breaking  the  News  —  Her 
Christian  Bearing  —  Passage  to,  and  Arrival  at,  Washing- 
ton—  Meeting  her  Husband  —  Anxiety  for  his  Wife  — 
"Take  that  Chance"  — The  Sabbath  a  Sad  One  — The 
Fourth  of  July  Sadder  —  Words  of  Curtis  —  The  Assassin 
Described  —  His  Letters  —  Profound  Public  Sympathy  — 
Letters,  Telegrams  and  Resolutions  by  the  Hundred  — 
Cablegram  from  Victoria  —  From  Indian  Moses  —  The 
Sufferer's  Words  in  the  late  War  Recalled  —  Hope  Re- 
vived —  Relapses  —  Third  Relapse,  August  12  —  Hope 
Abandoned  —  Universal  Depression  —  Sunday,  August 
28,  for  Fasting  and  Prayer —  "A  Nation  on  its  Knees"  — 
Still  there  is  Hope  — A  National  Thanksgiving  —  A  Trib- 
ute from  the  South  — From  a  Democratic  Congressman  — 
What  the  President  is  Teaching  —  Mrs.  Garfield's  Letter 
— Worse  Again  —  Removal  to  Long  Branch  —  First  Effect 
of  Sea  Air  —  Still  Worse  —  Hope  Revived  —  Telegram  to 
Minister  Lowell 404 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

DEATH  —  FUNERAL  CEREMONIES. 

Sudden  Change  —  Death  —  Closing  Scene  —  Mrs.  Garfield 
and  the  Burden-Bearer  —  The  Cabinet  —  Telegram  to 
Arthur  —  To  the  President's  Mother  —  To  the  Sons  —  Sad 
Tidings  Spread  —  Bells  Tolling  —  Died  on  Anniversary  of 
Appointment  as  Major-General  —  A  Prophecy  —  Funeral 
Appointed  at  Washington  and  Cleveland  —  Funeral  Train 
to  Washington  —  Lying  in  State  —  Floral  Tributes  —  Mrs. 
Garfield's  Last  Look  —  Obsequies  in  the  Capital  —  Sable 


CONTENTS,  21 

Cortege  from  Washington  to  Cleveland  — Scene  at  Cleve- 
land —  Lying  in  State  —  The  Vast  Throng  —  The  Sunday 
Scene  — Funeral  on  Monday  —  Services  — Sermon  — Gar- 
field's Favorite  Hymn  — Draping  and  Floral  Display  — 
Procession  Seven  Miles  Long— At  the  Tomb  —  Garfield's 
words  at  the  close  of  Lincoln's  career  fitting  for  his  own  .    429 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

EULOGY. 
By  Hon.  James  G.  Blaine 


451 


FROM  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


CHAPTER   I. 

FIRST  DAY  AT   SCHOOL. 

RUMOR  came  to  the  log-cabin  that  a 
school  would  open  soon  at  the  village, 
one-and-a-half  miles  distant.  It  was  only 
a  rumor  at  first,  but  the  rumor  grew  into 
fact  in  the  course  of  a  week. 

"Jimmy  must  go,  mother,"  said  Thomas,  who  was 
nearly  thirteen  years  old,  a  boy  of  heroic  spirit  and 
true  filial  and  fraternal  devotion. 

"  Yes,  Jimmy  must  go,"  responded  his  mother,  with 
such  a  smile  as  lights  up  the  face  of  those  mothers 
only  who  think  what  a  treasure  and  joy  there  is  in  the 
little  three-year  old ;  for  Jimmy  had  not  yet  reached 
his  fourth  birthday.  "  I  wish  you  could  go,  Tom, 
also,"  she  added. 

"  I  wish  I  could,  too,"  the  thoughtful  lad  replied ; 
**  but  the  potatoes  would  hardly  be  dug,  and  the  corn 
would  hardly  be  harvested,  nor  the  winter  rye  be  put 
in,  if  I  should  go.  The  girls  and  Jimmy  can  go,  and 
my  work  will  get  us  food  and  clothes."  The  last 
sentence  was  spoken  with  so  much  interest,  as  if  the 
son  and  brother  found  his  highest  pleasure  in  being 
able  to  run  the  little  farm  alone,  while  his  sisters 

23 


24  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

and  precious  little  brother  could  attend  the  school 
together,  that  his  good  mother  could  scarcely  sup- 
press her  honest  pride  over  the  unselfish  and  noble 
boy.  Her  maternal  pride  came  very  near  making 
a  demonstration  and  applying  some  pet  names  to 
Thomas,  but  her  excellent  judgment,  which  usually 
ruled,  guided  her  into  a  wiser  course,  and  she  let  the 
occasion  pass  with  only  a  few  well-chosen  words  of 
approval. 

"  It  is  a  good  chance  for  Jimmy,"  added  Thomas, 
after  a  moment  had  passed,  in  which  remark  his 
mother  saw  the  "  heap  "  of  love  he  had  for  his  little 
brother  ;  and  every  one  else  would  see  it  now,  too, 
could  they  understand  the  circumstances.  More 
than  one  person  had  remarked  that  Thomas  thought 
a  "-heap  "  of  James. 

It  was  a  busy  time  in  the  cabin,  preparing  the 
children  for  school.  The  girls  and  Thomas  went 
to  school  before  the  family  removed  to  Orange,  so 
that  it  was  not  a  new  thing  to  them.  Besides,  their 
mother  had  taught  them  much.  She  had  made  no 
special  effort  to  teach  James,  except  to  tell  him  Bible 
stories,  and  answer  his  multitudinous  questions  in  her 
instructive  way.  Still,  James  knew  nearly  all  his 
letters,  and  was  better  versed  in  Bible  history  than 
most  children  of  his  age  at  the  present  day.  The 
stories  of  the  Ark,  Cain  and  Abel,  Joseph,  Ishmael, 
Isaac,  Jacob,  Absalom,  Daniel,  the  Bethlehem  Babe, 
and  many  others,  were  familiar  to  him  at  that  time. 
The  little  fellow  possessed  a  remarkable  memory, 
and  he  was  bright  and  sunny,  the  light  and  joy  of 
the  log-cabin.     It  would  not  suffice  to  say  that  his 


BiKTiiri.ACE  or  James  A.  Gakfjkld. 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL.  2$ 

mother  thought  that  he  was  particularly  a  bright 
and  talented  boy ;  for  mothers  are  quite  apt  to  think 
very  well  of  their  offspring.  But  when  we  add  that 
Thomas  and  his  sisters,  and  the  neighbors  also,  re- 
garded James  as  a  very  precocious  and  promising  lad, 
the  reader  may  safely  conclude  that  the  hero  of  this 
volume  was  none  of  your  simple-minded  *'  children  of 
the  woods  "  —  neither  a  juvenile  drone  nor  ignoramus. 
He  was  just  the  little  fellow  to  make  music  at  home 
or  in  the  school-house. 

"Jimmy  can't  walk  half  the  way,"  said  Thomas; 
**  he  will  be  tired  to  death  before  he  hardly  gets  out 
of  sight  of  home." 

''I'll  see  to  that,"  replied  his  sister,  with  an  air  of 
assurance  that  indicated  her  plans  were  all  laid. 
"Jimmy  won't  be  tired." 

"What  is  going  to  prevent  it  ? "  inquired  Thomas. 

"  You'll  see,"  answered  his  sister,  somewhat  eva- 
sively, though  Thomas  knew  by  her  appearance  that 
there  was  real  significance  in  what  she  said. 

"Well,  what's  up  now  .'^  "  added  Thomas,  sure  that 
some  project  was  in  her  head. 

"  Nothing  is  up,  except  Jimmy  ;  he  will  be  ?//  —  on 
my  back,"  answered  the  brave  girl,  who  had  resolved 
to  spare  her  lively  little  brother's  legs  by  carrying  him 
to  school. 

"  Carry  Jimmy  to  school  !  "  exclaimed  Thomas  ; 
"you  will  be  more  tired  than  he  will  be  to  walk.  It 
is  a  bigger  load  than  our  great-grandfather  carried  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.     You'll  get  sick  of  that." 

"  It  won't  be  the  first  thing  I  am  sick  of  that  I 
have  done,"  was  all  the  girl's  reply. 


26  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

We  did  not  mean  to  tell  this  resolute  maid's  unpo- 
etical  name ;  but  we  desire  to  say  something  about 
her,  and  so  we  must  tell  her  name.  It  was  Mehet- 
ABEL.  The  name  was  load  enough  to  carry  to  school 
without  adding  the  burden  of  Jimmy.  Mehetabel 
was  fifteen  years  old,  just  such  a  strapping  girl  as 
would  grow  up  in  the  woods,  among  tall  trees  ;  but 
she  did  not  merit  such  a  name  as  that.  It  sat  upon 
her  better  at  fifteen  than  it  could  have  done  in  baby- 
hood, undoubtedly.  Just  think  of  a  baby  bearing 
the  name  of  Mehetabel  !  We  have  looked  for  its 
origin,  and  find  that  it  belongs  to  the  old  Jewish  dis- 
pensation, and  ought  to  have  been  dumped  into 
oblivion  with  its  lumbering  ceremonials.  But,  some- 
how, it  slid  over  into  the  new  dispensation,  and  after 
the  lapse  of  eighteen  hundred  years  and  more  it  now 
confronts  us  in  Ohio  ! 

Well,  the  first  day  of  school  arrived,  and  Mehet- 
abel took  her  two  burdens  —  her  name  and  her 
brother  —  and  trudged  off  to  school.  Jimmy  was 
mightily  pleased  with  his  new  mode  of  conveyance, 
and  so  were  the  whole  family ;  and  they  made  a  jolly 
morning  of  it  in  starting  off  the  pioneer  troop,  who 
were  only  forty-six  years  distant  from  the  White 
House.  The  log-cabin  smiled  as  it  had  not  smiled 
since  that  terrible  day  of  sorrow,  of  which  we  shall 
soon  speak.  Thomas  was  the  happiest  boy  in  Ohio 
on  that  blessed  morning,  although  he  did  not  know 
it ;  and  he  went  to  work  with  fresh  vigor  and  deter- 
mination, splendid  fellow  that  he  was.  While  the 
children  are  in  school,  and  Thomas  is  driving  work 
on  the  farm,  and  the  good  mother  is  having  a  lonely 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL.  2/ 

day  in  the  cabin,  with  her  spinning-wheel,  we  will 
stop  to  tell  how  this  family  came  to  be  in  the  woods 
of  Ohio,  and  add  some  definite  information  about  the 
father. 

In  the  year  1799  Thomas  Garfield  was  a  farmer  in 
Worcester,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y.  That  year  a  son 
was  born  to  him,  to  whom  he  gave  the  name  of 
Abram.  Thirty-two  years  afterwards,  this  son  Abram 
became  the  father  of  James  A.  Garfield. 

Before  Abram  was  two  years  old,  his  father  sud- 
denly sickened  and  died,  leaving  his  wife  and  several 
children  penniless,  —  a  sorrow  that  was  singularly 
repeated  in  the  life  of  Abram,  who  died,  as  we  shall 
see,  when  James  was  less  than  two  years  of  age, 
leaving  his  wife  and  four  children  to  battle  with  the 
hardships  of  life.  It  was  not  possible  for  Abram's 
mother  to  keep  the  family  together  and  provide  for  so 
many  mouths  ;  so  a  neighbor,  James  Stone,  took 
Abram  into  his  family,  and  reared  him  as  one  of  his 
own  children. 

When  the  lad  was  ten  years  old,  widow  Ballou  re- 
moved into  the  neighborhood,  from  New  Hampshire. 
Mrs.  Ballou  had  a  daughter,  Eliza,  about  a  year 
younger  than  Abram,  a  very  bright,  promising  girl. 
Abram  and  Eliza  became  playmates,  and  thought 
very  much  of  each  other. 

Eliza  was  fourteen  years  old  when  her  mother  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  emigrating  to  Ohio,  which  was 
then  the  "  Far  West,"  and  great  stories  were  told 
about  its  prolific  soil  and  future  wealth.  Emigrants 
from  New  York,  and  also  from  the  New  England 
States,  were  removing  thither  in  considerable  num- 


28  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


bers.  James  Ballou,  her  son,  now  a  young  man,  saw 
emigrant  wagons  passing  through  New  York,  or  start- 
ing from  it,  their  destination  being  Ohio,  and  became 
more  enthusiastic  than  his  mother  to  go.  At  last  she 
decided  to  remove  thither,  sold  her  little  farm,  packed 
her  household  goods  into  an  emigrant  wagon,  and  with 
her  children  started  for  the  West.  Abram  was  a 
lonely  boy  when  Eliza  left,  and  the  two  separated 
regretfully. 

It  was  a  long  and  tiresome  journey  of  six  weeks,  — 
a  trip  that  could  be  accomplished  now  in  twelve 
hours.  The  family  were  in  the  wagon,  except  when 
the  wagon  was  stuck  in  the  mud,  and  they  were 
compelled  to  unload,  and,  with  levers,  lift  it  out. 
The  roads  were  fearfully  bad,  without  a  bridge  over 
a  single  river ;  so  they  had  streams  to  ford,  swamps 
to  wade,  and  quagmires  to  avoid,  enough  to  test  the 
courage  and  patience  of  the  most  experienced  woman 
and  the  bravest  girl.  On  the  way  James  shot  game, 
so  that  there  was  no  lack  of  food.  At  length  they 
reached  Zanesville,  Muskingum  County,  one  of  the 
oldest  settlements  in  Ohio  at  that  time  ;  and  there 
they  settled. 

About  five  years  later  Abram  Garfield  took  the 
"  Ohio  fever,"  as  it  was  called,  or  else  the  memory 
of  the  fair-haired  maiden  inspired  him  to  nobler  deeds, 
and  he,  too,  started  for  the  West,  —  a  young  man  of 
twenty  years,  hopeful,  fearless,  ambitious,  and  smart. 
He  found  work  in  Newburg,  near  Cleveland.  Cleve- 
land was  then  only  a  small  collection  of  log-cabins, 
containing  about  one  hundred  people.  Newburg  was 
newer  and  more  isolated.     But,  for  some  reason,  the 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL.  29 


young  adventurer   selected   the  latter  place   for   his 
home. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  he  not  only  worked,  but 
cast  about  to  learn  something  of  the  maiden  he  could 
not  forget.     For  he  learned,  after  a  time,   that  the 
Ballou  family  were  at  Zanesville,  whither  he  wended 
his  way  on  a  visit,  as  soon  as  possible.     The  family 
gave  him  a   hearty  greeting,    especially   Eliza,    who 
had  grown  into  a  winsome  damsel  of  almost  nineteen 
That  Abram  was  glad  to  see  her  would  be  a  tame 
way  of  stating  the  fact.     If  Eliza  had  constituted  all 
the  -  Far  West  "  there  was  at  that  time,  Abram  would 
have  been  fascinated  by  the  country,  making  no  ac- 
count at  all  of  New  York  in  the  comparison.     With- 
out stretching  out  the  tale  into  a  -long  yarn,"  it  ivill 
suffice  to  say,  that  Eliza  just  filled  Abram's  eye,  and 
m  less  than  two  years  from  that  time  became  his  wife 
They  were  married  February  3,    1821,   and  repaired 
at  once  to  his  chosen  home,  Newburg,  where  a  log- 
cabin,   eighteen  by  twenty  feet,   containing  but  on^'e 
room,  awaited  them.     It  was  a  very  humble  abode, 
but  true  love  put  as  much  happiness  into  it  as  could 
have  been  there  if  it  had  been  a  palace.     The  cabin 
was   destitute   of   sash   or  glass,    though   places   for 
three  windows,  covered  with  greased  paper,  admitted 
light.     Greased  paper  was  a  common   substitute  for 
glass,  and  was  the  "stained-glass  "  of  that  day.     The 
furniture  was  manufactured  by  her  noble  husband,  of 
whom  she  was  as  proud  as  he  was  of  her ;  and  it  was 
the  latest  style  of  that  region,  therefore  fashionable. 
It  consisted  of  several  three-legged  stools,  a  puncheon 
table,  a  bed  m  one  corner,  constructed  of  poles  and 


30  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

slabs,  a  frying-pan,  one  iron  pot,  two  wooden  plates, 
with  knives  and  forks  to  match,  and  a  *'  Dutch  oven," 
which  was  simply  a  kettle  with  a  rimmed  cover,  on 
which  live  coals  were  laid.  Here  James  A.  Garfield's 
father  began  life  in  earnest,  and  here  he  lived  nine 
years,  during  which  time  three  of  his  children  were 
born.  He  tilled  the  soil,  and  also  at  two  different 
times  took  contracts  on  the  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania 
Canal,  which  was  in  process  of  construction. 

The  young  adventurer  was  not  satisfied,  however. 
His  growing  family  demanded  larger  provision  for 
the  future,  so  he  purchased  fifty  acres  of  land,  at  two 
dollars  an  acre,  in  Orange,  Cuyahoga  County,  seven- 
teen miles  from  the  first  home  of  his  wedded  life. 
He  selected  this  locality  because  Amos  Boynton, 
whose  wife  was  sister  to  Mrs.  Garfield,  had  purchased 
a  tract  there ;  and  the  families  could  remove  thither 
together.  One  log-cabin  was  erected  first,  in  which 
both  families  lived,  thick  as  "three  in  a  bed,"  until 
another  cabin  could  be  built.  When  these  cabins 
were  built  the  nearest  neighbor  was  seven  miles  away. 
It  was  January,  1830,  when  Abram  Garfield  removed 
to  this  new  home  in  the  wilderness.  His  cabin  was 
larger  and  more  substantial  than  the  one  he  left.  It 
was  twenty  by  thirty  feet,  made  of  unhewn  logs, 
notched  and  laid  one  upon  another,  in  what  boys  call 
the  "  cob-house  "  style,  to  the  height  of  twelve  feet  or 
more  in  front,  and  eight  feet  or  more  on  the  back 
side.  The  spaces  between  the  logs  were  filled  with 
clay  or  mud,  making  a  warm  abode  for  winter,  and  a 
cool  one  for  summer. 

The  chimney  was  constructed  of  wood  and  mud, 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL.  3 1 

rising  from  the  roof  like  a  pyramid,  smallest  at  the 
top.  The  roof  was  covered  with  slabs,  held  in  place 
by  long  weight-poles.  The  floor  was  made  of  logs, 
each  split  into  two  parts  and  laid  the  flat  side  up, 
hewn  smooth  with  an  axe.  There  was  a  loft  above, 
to  which  the  family  ascended  by  a  sort  of  permanent 
ladder  in  one  corner  of  the  cabin.  The  children 
slept  upon  the  floor  of  the  loft,  on  straw  beds.  The 
only  door  of  the  dwelling  was  made  of  plank ;  and 
three  small  windows  furnished  all  the  light  possible, 
though  not  so  much  as  was  needed.  This,  briefly, 
was  the  pioneer  home  in  which  James  A.  Garfield  was 
born,  on  the  19th  day  of  November,  1831,  and  from 
which  he  went  forth  to  his  first  day  at  school,  as 
already  described. 

Abram  Garfield  was  a  tall,  heavy,  handsome  man, 
capable  of  great  endurance;  just  the  man  to  plunge 
into  a  wilderness  to  make  a  home  and  clear  land  for  a 
farm.  He  possessed  the  strength,  will,  and  wisdom 
for  such  an  enterprise.  His  brain  was  in  fair  propor- 
tion to  his  body,  large  and  active,  making  him  a 
strong-minded  man  ;  and,  under  other  and  more  favor- 
able circumstances,  he  might  have  made  a  broad  and 
deep  mark  on  his  day  and  generation.  But  he  thought 
of  little  except  his  family  in  that  day  of  hardship  and 
want,  and  so  he  chose  a  home  and  occupation  where 
honor  and  fame  were  out  of  the  question.  But,  with 
all  his  physical  strength,  the  loving  husband  and 
father  was  not  exempt  from  the  attacks  of  disease. 
One  day,  in  the  midst  of  his  hard  toil,  he  heard 
the  alarm  of  "  Fire  in  the  forest."  Forest  fires  were 
common   in   summer  time,  and  often  large  tracts  of 


32  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

woods  were  burned  over ;  and  sometimes  pioneer 
cabins  were  destroyed,  and  the  crops  on  little  farms  in 
the  wilderness  were  injured. 

"  It  is  coming  this  way  certainly,"  said  Mr.  Garfield, 
with  some  anxiety,  after  satisfying  himself  as  to  the 
danger.  '*  I'm  afraid  it  will  make  trouble  for  us. 
Mehetabel,  run  to  the  house  with  my  axe,  and  bring 
me  the  shovel." 

The  girl  was  assisting  her  father.  Within  five 
minutes  Mr.  Garfield  had  the  shovel,  and  Mrs.  Gar- 
field, and  all  the  children  except  the  baby,  were  out  to 
watch  the  fire. 

"We  must  fight  it,"  said  Mr.  Garfield,  **or  only 
ashes  will  be  left  of  our  home  at  sundown." 

"I  fear -as  much,"  replied  Mrs.  Garfield.  **  These 
forest  fires  are  terrible." 

*'  Mehetabel,  you  and  Thomas  follow  me ; "  and 
he  ran  across  the  house-lot  to  the  edge  of  the  woods 
to  prevent  the  fiery  demon  from  attacking  his  habita- 
tion. 

Thomas  and  his  sister  followed.  The  fire  reached 
the  spot  almost  as  soon  as  they  did,  and  the  battle 
with  it  began.  It  was  a  long  and  hard  fight.  Mr. 
Garfield  met  the  enemy  with  all  the  vigor  of  a  father 
contending  for  his  children.  He  fully  realized  what 
their  situation  would  be  if  the  sun  should  go  down 
upon  the  ruins  of  their  home,  and  the  thought  im- 
pelled him  to  superhuman  efforts.  For  nearly  two 
hours,  in  the  burning  sun  of  a  hot  July  day,  he  fought 
the  fire  with  his  strong  arm.  Sometimes  the  battle 
seemed  to  turn  in  favor  of  the  fiery  element,  and 
again    the   resolute   pioneer   appeared    to    have    the 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL 


33 


advantage  over  it.  At  last,  however,  the  fire  was 
conquered,  or  rather,  was  prevented  from  devour- 
ing the  little  cabin  and  desolating  the  crops,  though 
it  swept  on  beyond  the  farm,  whither  the  wind 
drove  it. 

Thoroughly  heated  and  exhausted,  Mr.  Garfield  sat 
down    upon   a   stump   to    rest,    and   enjoy   the    cool, 
refreshing  breeze  that  sprang  up  from  the  West.     He 
did  not  dream  that  he  was   exposing  his  health  by 
sitting,  covered  with  perspiration,  in  that  cool  wind. 
But  that  night  he  was  seized  violently  by  congestion 
of  the  throat,  and  his  stout  frame  writhed  in  pain, 
threatening   speedy   dissolution.      As    early    in    the 
morning  as  possible,  Mehetabel  was  posted  away  to 
Mr.  Boynton's,  and  Thomas  to  a  neighbor  in  another 
direction,  for  their  assistance.      There  was   no  phy- 
.^ician  within  many  miles ;  but  one  of  the  neighbors 
summoned  claimed  to  possess  some  medical  knowl- 
edge, and  the  patient  was  passed  over  into  his  hands, 
substantially,  after  he  arrived.     He  applied  a  blister^ 
thereby  aggravating   the   disease,   and    hurrying   the 
sick  man  to  his  grave.     Mrs.    Garfield  did   all   that 
true  love  and  remarkable  efificiency  could  do  to  save 
her  husband,  but  her  tender  and  faithful  ministrations 
were  fruitless ;  he  sank  rapidly,  and  at  last  died  with- 
out a  struggle.     His  last  words  were,  looking  upon  his 
children,  and  then  addressing  his  wife : 

"I  have  planted  four  saplings  in  these  woods;  I 
must  now  leave  them  to  your  care," 

Oh,  what  a  dark  pall  settled  upon  that  abode  !  A 
happier  family  never  dwelt  in  a  palace  than  was  found 
in  that  cabin.     And  now  the  burden  of  sorrow  that 


34  LOG-CAB IX   TO   ]VHITE  HOUSE. 

rested  upon  the  widowed  wife  and  fatherless  children 
was  gauged  by  the  greatness  of  bereaved  affection. 
Little  James  was  but  eighteen  months  old  when  his 
father  died  —  too  young  to  understand  the  irreparable 
loss,  or  to  feel  the  pangs  of  grief  that  well-nigh 
crushed  other  hearts.  It  was  well  that  his  baby- 
spirit  could  not  take  in  the  sorrow  of  that  hour ; 
there  was  anguish  enough  in  that  stricken  home  with- 
out adding  his  touching  wail  thereto. 

The  neighbors  came,  what  few  there  were  (only 
four  or  five  families  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles),  and 
sympathized  and  wept  with  the  widow  and  fatherless 
ones.  With  their  assistance  the  lifeless  remains  were 
enclosed  in  a  rough  box,  and  borne  out  through  the 
low  doorway,  and  buried  in  a  corner  of  the  wheat-field, 
near  by.  No  sermon,  no  remarks,  no  prayers,  except 
the  silent  prayers  that  went  up  for  grace  from  aching 
hearts  !  Reader,  you  will  never  know,  you  never  can 
know,  nobody  can  ever  know,  except  by  the  dreadful 
experience,  what  the  death  and  burial  of  a  loved  one 
is  in  the  wilderness,  amid  the  gloom  and  silence  of 
primeval  forests.  That  bereaved  widow  still  lives, 
and  after  the  lapse  of  nearly  fifty  years  she  bears  the 
marks  of  that  great  sorrow.  A  kind  Providence  that 
"  tempers  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb  "  has  wonder- 
fully sustained  her,  and  she  has  found  her  Saviour  to 
be  as  "the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land." 
Still  the  brow  of  almost  eighty  years  is  furrowed  by 
the  severity  of  that  affliction. 

An  incident  should  be  recorded  here.  It  occurred 
a  short  time  before  Mr.  Garfield's  death  ;  and  he  was 
reading  a  volume  of  Plutarch's  **  Lives,"  with  James 


FIRST  DAY  AT  SCHOOL.  35 

in  his  lap.  The  latter  could  speak  the  words,  "  papa," 
"mamma,"  and  others.  **Say  Plutarch,"  said  his 
father.  James  repeated  it  very  distinctly.  "  Say  it 
again,"  continued  Mr.  Garfield.  James  repeated  it 
plainly,  as  before,  and  continued  to  repeat  it.  Look- 
ing up  to  his  wife,  Mr.  Garfield  remarked,  with  a  true 
father's  love  and  pride,  **  Eliza,  this  boy  will  be  a 
scholar  some  day  !  " 

Winter  was  approaching  ;  and  winter  in  the  wilder- 
ness, especially  when  the  stalwart  arm  upon  which 
loved  ones  depend  for  support  and  defence  is  palsied 
in  death,  is  not  calculated  to  dispel  gloom  from  a 
dwelling.  Could  human  experience  be  more  dreary 
than  when  a  woman  is  left  a  widow,  alone  with  her 
children,  in  a  wilderness  swept  by  wintry  storms  ;  and 
that  affliction  intensified  by  extreme  poverty,  so  that 
economy  and  careful  planning  are  needful  to  keep  the 
wolf  of  hunger  from  the  door  .''  What  a  winter  it  was  ! 
The  snow  lay  deep  and  heavy  upon  the  earth,  burying 
the  sacred  mound  in  the  corner  of  the  wheat-field  out 
of  sight,  and  the  high  winds  moaned  through  the 
naked  forests  as  if  wailing  for  the  dead.  The  howl  of 
wolves  and  the  cry  of  panthers  never  sounded  so  ter- 
rible as  they  did  during  those  long,  desolate,  wintry 
nights.  The  children,  realizing  the  loneliness  of  their 
situation,  now  that  their  strong  protector  was  dead, 
would  lie  awake  at  night  to  listen  tremblingly  to  the 
howls  and  cries  of  these  hungry  animals,  at  the  very 
door  of  their  cabin.  Sometimes  it  seemed  to  them 
that  the  panthers  knew  their  courageous  father  was 
lying  dead  in  the  wheat-field,  and  so  they  ventured  to 
come  to  the  very  door  to  moan  and  cry,  as  famishing 


36  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

children  cry  for  bread.  Baby  James,  however,  slept 
on,  oblivious  alike  to  the  sorrows  and  perils  of  the 
hour.  God  was  keeping  him  against  the  night  of 
national  danger,  when  he  would  listen  to  the  yell  of 
the  wolves  of  plunder  at  the  door  of  the  republic. 
That  winter,  alone  in  the  almost  'pathless  forest,  with 
the  warring  elements  and  beasts  of  prey  uniting  to 
make  desolation  more  desolate,  could  not  have  had 
more  sad  thoughts,  bitter  tears,  hours  of  loneliness, 
and  blasted  hopes,  crowded  into  it  than  were  the 
natural  outcome  of  the  direful  situation. 

It  seemed  to  the  weary  ones  that  spring  would 
never  return ;  but  it  did,  after  a  long,  never-to-be- 
forgotten  winter.  And  spring  swept  away  the  snow 
and  ice,  and  the  streams  ran  singing  again,  and  the 
dead  things  of  the  field  and  forest  returned  to  life,  save 
only  the  dead  in  the  corner  of  the  wheat-field.  There 
was  no  resurrection  there  ;  and  so  hope  was  not  re- 
vived in  the  cabin,  and  a  gloomy  outlook  made  even 
spring-time  sad.  There  was  no  money  in  the  house, 
and  there  was  a  debt  on  the  farm.  Food,  also,  was 
running  low  ;  and  the  widowed  mother  might  hear  her 
children  cry  for  bread.  What  could  she  do  t  Leav- 
ing the  children  still  at  school,  we  will  continue  the 
story  of  her  sufferings. 


CHAPTER   11. 

BEFORE  SCHOOL-DAYS. 

IN  her  strait  Widow  Garfield  sought  the 
advice  of  neighbor  Boynton,  whose  real 
kindness  had  been  a  solace  to  her  heart. 
He  said  : 

*'  No  woman  with  four  children  can  carry  on  a  farm 
like  this  alone,  and  support  her  family.  I  see  no  pos- 
sible way  out  of  your  trouble  except  to  sell  your  place 
and  return  to  your  friends." 

"  And  leave  my  husband  in  the  wheat-field  ?  "  re- 
sponded Mrs.  Garfield.      "  Never  ;  I  can't  do  that." 

"  But  what  else  can  you  do  ? "  continued  the 
neighbor. 

Looking  at  the  circumstances  squarely,  with  her 
accustomed  good  sense  and  courageous  spirit,  she 
answered  : 

"  When  I  have  sold,  paid  the  debts  and  the  expense 
of  removal  to  my  friends,  J  shall  have  little  or  noth- 
ing left,  and  that,  too,  without  a  rod  of  land  on  which 
to  raise  corn  to  make  a  loaf." 

"  Your  friends  could  help  you,"  suggested  the 
neighbor. 

"  I    can    never   cast    myself    upon    the    charity   of 

37 


38  LOG-CABIX   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


friends,"  Mrs.  Garfield  replied,  with  an  emphasis 
that  showed  she  meant  what  she  said.  "  So  long  as 
I  have  my  health  I  believe  that  my  Heavenly  Father 
will  bless  these  two  hands  so  as  to  support  my  chil- 
dren. My  dear  husband  made  this  home  at  the  sac- 
rifice of  his  life,  and  every  log  in  this  cabin  is  sacred 
to  me  now.  It  seems  to  me  like  a  holy  trust,  that 
I  must  preserve  as  faithfully  as  I  would  guard  his 
grave." 

The  heroism  that  came  out  through  these  words 
was  worthy  of  a  Revolutionary  matron  ;  and  the 
woman's  fortitude  fairly  drew  tears  from  the  eyes  of 
the  neighbor. 

''  Then  you  would  not  sell  your  farm  any  way  }  " 
added  the  neighbor,  inquiringly. 

"  Not  all  of  it,"  she  replied.  "  Part  of  it  might  go  ; 
enough  to  pay  the  debt." 

"  I  never  thought  of  that,"  answered  the  neighbor. 
*'  Perhaps  that  is  the  way  out  of  your  trouble.  Better 
think  that  over,  and  I  will.  I  '11  look  about,  too,  and 
see  what  can  be  done  by  way  of  selling  part  of  it." 

The  neighbor  left,  and  Mrs.  Garfield  went  imme- 
diately to  a  greater  than  he,  where  she  had  often  been 
in  her  want  and  woe  for  counsel.  On  her  knees  in 
one  corner  of  the  cabin  she  laid  her  case  before  God. 
and  promised  to  follow  His  guidance  if  He  would 
only  make  duty  plain.  God  did  make  it  plain  as  day 
to  her.  She  arose  from  her  knees  without  a  doubt  in 
her  heart.  She  was  happier  than  she  had  been  any 
time  since  death  darkened  her  home.  She  felt  like 
singing  the  twenty-seventh  Psalm  :  "  The  Lord  is 
my  light  and  my  salvation ;  whom  sh«ill  I  fear }  the 


BEFORE   SCHOOL-DAYS.  39 


Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  hfe ;  of  whom  shall  I  be 
afraid  ? " 

Calling  Thomas,  who  was  not  quite  eleven  years 
old,  but  now  the  only  male  dependence  on  the  farm, 
she  laid  the  case  before  him,  as  if  he  had  been  a  man  of 
thirty  years,  and  the  resolute  and  trusty  boy  replied  : 

''  I  can  plough  and  plant,  mother.  I  can  sow  the 
wheat,  too,  and  cut  the  wood,  milk  the  cows,  and  do 
heaps  of  things  for  you." 

''You  are  a  small  boy  to  do  so  much,"  responded 
his  mother ;  "  but  with  my  help  perhaps  it  can  be 
done.  God  has  promised  to  be  with  the  widow  and 
fatherless.  I  don't  feel  that  I  can  move  away  from 
this  place." 

"  We  needn't,"  Thomas  said,  quickly.  "  I  want  to 
live  here,  and  I  will  work  real  hard." 

"  Not  too  hard,  my  son,  lest  there  be  two  graves 
instead  of  one  in  the  corner  of  the  wheat-field,"  an- 
swered Mrs.  Garfield,  with  much  emotion.  *'  We 
must  finish  the  fence  around  the  wheat,  and  that  will 
be  very  hard  work  ;  but  I  think  that  I  can  split  the 
rails,  and  together  we  can  set  the  fence." 

"And  I  can  finish  the  barn,  I  know,"  added 
Thomas.  His  father  had  partially  fenced  the  wheat- 
field,  and  had  been  putting  up  a  small  barn,  which 
was  nearly  completed. 

And  so  the  whole  subject  was  canvassed,  and  plans 
laid,  in  the  full  expectation  of  remaining  on  the 
pioneer  farm.  Nor  did  the  widow  have  to  wait  long 
to  sell  a  portion  of  her  land.  Settlers  were  coming 
into  that  part  of  Ohio  occasionally,  and  one  of  them 
heard,   through    the    neighbor  spoken    of,   that    Mrs. 


40  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Garfield  would  dispose  of  part  of  her  land.  He  lost 
no  time  in  finding  her  humble  abode,  and  at  once 
bargained  with  her  for  twenty  acres,  paying  cash  for 
the  same.  With  this  money  she  paid  all  the  debts, 
although  it  took  the  last  dollar  to  remove  this  in- 
cumbrance. 

Spring  was  fairly  upon  them  when  the  sale  was 
effected,  so  that  she  and  Thomas  proceeded  at  once 
to  put  the  little  farm  in  order.  He  procured  a  horse 
of  the  nearest  neighbor,  who  was  generous  enough 
to  offer  him  the  use  of  the  animal,  and  prepared  the 
ground  for  wheat,  corn,  and  potatoes,  and  a  small 
garden  for  vegetables.  It  was  truly  wonderful  to 
witness  the  tact  and  endurance  of  this  boy-farmer  of 
ten  years,  toiling  from  early  morning  till  night  set  in, 
his  young  heart  bounding  with  delight  over  his  ability 
to  assist  his  widowed  mother.  Without  any  assistance, 
except  such  as  his  mother,  and  sister  of  twelve  years, 
rendered,  he  did  the  planting  and  sowing  in  a  style 
that  assured  a  good  harvest  in  the  autumn. 

At  the  same  time  his  mother  prepared  the  fence 
for  the  wheat-field.  She  found  trees  in  the  forest 
already  felled,  and  she  split  the  rails,  every  one  of 
them,  severe  as  the  labor  was,  sometimes  almost  ex- 
hausting her  strength,  and  always  making  a  large 
draft  upon  her  nerves.  But  the  necessity  was  laid 
upon  her,  and  she  stopped  not  to  inquire,  as  she  did 
in  the  case  of  Thomas,  whether  there  might  not  be 
another  grave  in  the  wheat-field  at  no  distant  period. 
Before  July  the  house-lot,  which  was  the  small  plat  of 
cleared  land  sowed  and  planted,  was  fenced  in,  and 
the  little  farm  was  doing  well.     There  was  no  school 


BEFORE  SCHOOL-DAYS.  4 1 

for  Thomas  and  his  sisters  to  attend,  so  that  he  had 
all  the  time  there  was  from  morning  until  night  to 
labor,  and  wait  — wait  for  the  seed  to  grow.  He  did 
his  work,  apparently,  with  as  much  ease  and  efficiency 
as  a  young  man  of  twenty  would  have  done  it. 

But  another  trial  awaited  the  afflicted  family. 
Food  was  becoming  scarce,  and  no  money  to  purchase 
more.  An  examination  satisfied  the  widow  that  the 
corn  would  be  exhausted  long  before  harv^est  unless 
the  family  were  put  upon  a  daily  allowance.  So, 
without  speaking  of  this  new  trial  to  her  children, 
she  counted  the  number  of  weeks  and  days  to  har- 
vest-time, and  estimated  the  amount  of  corn  that 
would  be  required  each  day.  To  her  surprise  and 
grief,  a  fair  daily  allowance  would  exhaust  the  bin  of 
corn  before  harvest.  She  took  in  the  situation  at 
once,  and,  bravely  and  quickly  as  a  general  on  the 
field  of  battle,  decided  she  would  forego  supper  her- 
self that  the  children  might  have  enough.  For  a 
while  the  devoted  mother  lived  upon  two  meals  a  day, 
though  working  harder  than  she  had  ever  worked  any 
previous  summer ;  for  she  assisted  Thomas  on  the 
farm  to  the  extent  of  her  strength,  and  even  beyond 
her  strength. 

A  few  weeks  elapsed,  and  the  doting  mother  dis- 
covered some  mistake  in  her  calculations,  and  she  was 
startled  to  find  that  the  present  daily  allowance  of 
corn  would  consume  the  last  ear  before  the  new  crop 
could  be  gathered.  Without  a  murmur,  and  with  a 
martyr  spirit,  she  resolved  to  forego  dinner ;  and 
from  that  time  until  harvest  she  indulged  in  but  one 
meal  a  day.     All  this  self-denial  was  practised  in  a 


42  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

manner  to  conceal  it  as  much  as  possible  from  the 
children.  They  were  growing  and  hearty,  and  Thomas 
especially  needed  substantial  food,  since  he  was  doing 
almost  a  man's  labor.  Seldom  was  a  pioneer  family 
found  in  more  straitened  circumstances  in  mid-sum- 
mer than  was  Widow  Garfield's  in  the  year  1834. 
Had  not  the  spirit  of  a  Revolutionary  matron  presided 
over  that  cabin,  and  the  grace  of  Him  who  does  not 
suffer  a  sparrow  to  fall  without  his  notice  sustained 
the  presiding  genius,  the  history  of  that  family  would 
have  closed  that  year  in  the  forests  of  Ohio. 

But  the  harvest  came,  and  a  blessed  harvest  it  was ! 
The  crops  were  abundant,  and  of  excellent  quality. 
Want  fled  at  the  sight  of  the  bending  sheaves  and 
golden  ears.  The  dear  mother  had  come  off  con- 
queror in  her  long  contest  with  the  wolf  of  hunger, 
and  her  heart  overflowed  with  gratitude  to  the  Great 
Giver.  The  twenty-third  Psalm  had  new  significance 
in  that  log-cabin,  — "  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd,  I 
shall  not  want,"  etc.,  —  and  the  grateful  mother  re- 
peated it  over  and  over,  from  day  to  day,  as  the  real 
language  of  her  soul  in  the  hour  of  deliverance  from 
distressing  want.  The  first  full  meal  which  the 
abundant  harvest  brought  was  a  benison  to  that 
household,  and  never  again  did  hunger  and  starvation 
threaten  to  destroy  them. 

We  have  told  the  reader  somewhat  about  the  father 
of  this  family,  and  now  that  so  much  has  been  said  of 
the  mother  we  need  to  say  more.  We  stop  here  to 
record  briefly  some  facts  of  her  early  history. 

She  was  a  descendant  of  Maturin  Ballou,  a  Hugue- 
not of  France,  who  was  driven  from  that  country  on 


BEFORE  SCHOOL-DAYS.  43 

the  revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantes.  He  joined  the 
colony  of  Roger  Williams  and  came  to  America,  set- 
tling in  Cumberland,  R.  I.  There  he  built  a  church, 
which  still  stands,  and  is  carefully  preserved  as  a 
relic  of  the  past.  It  is  known  as  the  "  Elder  Ballou 
Meeting-house."  When  it  was  built  there  were  no 
saw-mills  in  the  country,  and  no  nails,  and  few  tools 
to  work  with,  so  that  the  old  "meeting-house"  is  a 
great  curiosity.  Its  galleries  and  pews  are  hewn  out 
of  solid  logs,  and  put  together  with  wooden  pegs. 
Even  its  floor  was  hewn  out  of  logs,  and  fastened 
down  with  wooden  pegs.  Here  Maturin  Ballou 
preached  the  gospel  while  he  lived,  and  was  followed 
by  his  son,  then  his  grandson,  then  his  great-grand- 
son, and  so  on  to  the  tenth  generation.  A  race  of 
preachers  sprang  from  this  pioneer  minister.  In  one 
family  of  the  Ballous,  the  father  and  four  sons  were 
clergymen  ;  then  followed  three  grandsons,  one  great- 
grandson,  and  one  great-great-grandson,  all  from  one 
branch.  There  were  also  many  lawyers,  doctors,  and 
other  public  men  among  the  Ballous,  eminent  for 
their  talents  and  remarkable  force  of  character.  Some 
of  them  figured  in  the  American  Revolution,  both  as 
officers  and  privates,  as  heroic  and  efficient  in  war  as 
they  were  renowned  in  peace.  They  were  a  con- 
scientious people,  and  one  of  them,  who  preached  in 
the  old  meeting-house  about  the  year  1775,  would  not 
receive  any  salary  for  his  services.  He  protested 
against  being  a  "hireling."  And  yet  he  was  so  poor 
that  one  of  his  sons  was  forced  to  learn  to  write  upon 
"  birch-bark,  in  lieu  of  paper,  and  use  charcoal,  in- 
stead of  pen  and  ink."     This  son  was  the  celebrated 


44  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


Hosea  Ballou,  founder  of  Universalism  in  the  United 
States.  His  father  broke  away  from  the  Cumberland 
fold  before  Hosea  was  born,  and  removed  to  New 
Hampshire,  where  he  settled.  A  cousin,  James  Ballou, 
emigrated  thither  with  him,  married,  and  became  the 
father  of  Eliza  Ballou,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  is  the 
mother  of  James  A.  Garfield. 

It  is  not  difficult,  therefore,  to  discover  the  origin 
of  Mrs.  Garfield's  (mother  of  James)  great  fortitude, 
indomitable  perseverance,  tact,  talents,  and  large  ex- 
ecutive ability.  Were  she  otherwise,  she  would  not 
fairly  represent  the  long  line  of  illustrious  ancestors 
whose  record  is  found  upon  two  hundred  years,  and 
more,  of  our  nation's  history. 

In  the  spring  of  1835,  a  family  moved  into  the 
vicinity,  which  proved  of  great  benefit  to  the  Gar- 
fields.  They  had  sewing  to  be  done,  and  Mrs.  Gar- 
field was  glad  of  the  opportunity  to  do  it.  A  boy  was 
needed,  also,  to  plough  and  chop  occasionally,  and 
Thomas  found  it  a  good  opportunity  to  earn  a  little 
money  for  his  mother.  It  was  additional  sunshine  let 
into  the  log-cabin. 

It  was  an  era  when  Thomas  brought  home  the  first 
money  that  he  earned.  A  happier  boy  never  crossed 
a  threshold  than  he  was  when  he  handed  the  avails  of 
his  labor  to  his  mother,  saying  : 

"  Now  the  shoemaker  can  come  and  make  Jimmy  a 
pair  of  shoes." 

"  Certainly,"  answered  his  mother  ;  "and  he  will  be 
indebted  to  you  for  the  first  pair  of  shoes  that  he  ever 
wore.     You  '11  never  be  sorry." 

"  I    never   expect   to   be   sorry,"    replied   Thomas. 


BEFORE  SCHOOL-DAYS.  45 

**  Jimmy  ought  to  have  had  a  pair  a  long  time  ago, 
and  he  would  have  had  a  pair  if  there  had  been  any 
way  for  me  to  earn  them." 

"  Well,  you  can  send  word  to  the  shoemaker  as 
soon  as  you  please,"  continued  his  mother ;  "  the 
quicker  the  better." 

James  was  three  and  a  half  years  old  at  that  time, 
and  he  had  not  known  the  luxury  of  a  pair  of  shoes, 
no,  not  even  in  the  winter.  To  come  into  the  posses- 
sion of  the  first  pair  of  shoes,  in  these  circumstances, 
was  an  event  of  great  importance.  To  a  child  in  the 
woods,  it  was  like  the  accession  of  a  fortune  to  a  poor 
man,  now.  Be  assured,  reader,  that  Jimmy  greeted 
the  advent  of  the  shoemaker  with  hearty  good-will 
when  he  came ;  and  he  came  very  soon  after  the  shoe 
question  was  settled,  for  Thomas  lost  no  time  in  se- 
curing his  services. 

Then,  in  that  part  of  the  country,  shoemakers  did 
not  have  shops  of  their  own,  but  they  went  from  cabin 
to  cabin,  boarding  with  the  families  while  they  were 
making  shoes  for  the  members.  In  this  case,  the 
cobbler  boarded  with  Mrs.  Garfield,  and  his  board 
paid  part  of  the  cost  of  the  shoes.  Shoemakers  were 
not  experts  in  the  business,  at  that  time  and  in  that 
region,  so  they  required  much  more  time  to  produce  a 
pair  of  shoes  ;  and  when  they  were  completed,  no  one 
could  say  that  their  beauty  added  to  their  value. 
They  answered  every  purpose,  however,  in  a  region 
where  fashion  was  at  a  discount. 

The  acquisition  of  that  pair  of  shoes  elated  the 
little  possessor  more  than  an  election  to  Congress  did 
less  than  thirty  years  thereafter.     He  was  rich  now, 


46  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


and  well  equipped  for  pioneer  life.     He  could  defy  the 
snows  of  winter  as  well  as  the  stubs  of  summer. 

One  thing  more  should  be  told  here.  Abram  Gar- 
field and  his  noble  wife  were  Christians.  Before  re- 
moving to  Orange,  they  united  with  a  comparatively 
new  sect,  called  Disciples,  though  Campbellites  was  a 
name  by  which  they  were  sometimes  known,  in  honor 
of  the  founder  of  the  sect,  Alexander  Campbell. 
Their  creed  was  very  short,  plain,  and  good.  It  was 
as  follows  : 

1.  A  belief  in  God  the  Father. 

2.  That  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living   • 
God,  the  only  Saviour. 

3.  That  Christ  is  a  Divine  Being. 

4.  That  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Divine  agent  in  the 
conversion  of  sinners,  and  in  guidance  and  direction. 

5.  That  the  Old  and  New  Testament  Scriptures  are 
inspired  of  God. 

6.  That  there  is  future  punishment  for  the  wicked, 
and  reward  for  the  righteous. 

7.  That  God  hears  and  answers  prayer. 

8.  That  the  Bible  is  the  only  creed. 

With  such  decided  opinions,  of  course  their  cabin 
home  was  dedicated  to  God,  and  the  Bible  was  the 
counsellor  and  guide  of  their  life.  The  voice  of  prayer 
was  heard  daily  in  the  rude  abode,  and  the  children 
were  reared  under  the  influence  of  Christian  instruction 
and  living. 

It  has  taken  us  so  long  to  relate  the  history  of  this 
family  previous  to  Jimmy's  first  day  at  school,  that 
we  must  now  hasten  to  meet  the  children,  on  their 
return,  as  told  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER   III. 

GETTING   ON. 

|RS.  GARFIELD  was  making  her  spinning- 
wheel  hum  when  the  children  came  home. 
She  was  obliged  to  economize  her  time,  in 
order  to  clothe  her  family  with  goods  of  her 
own  manufacture.  The  spinning-wheel  and  loom 
were  just  as  indispensable  to  pioneers,  at  that  time, 
as  a  "  Dutch  oven  "  was.  The  age  of  factories  had 
not  come,  certainly  not  in  that  part  of  the  country. 
In  New  England,  even,  factories  were  in  their  infancy, 
then,  —  small  affairs. 

"  Oh,  such  a  good  time  as  we  have  had  !  "  exclaimed 
Mehetabel,  as  she  came  rushing  into  the  cabin  with 
James  and  her  sister. 

"Twenty-one  scholars,"  added  her  sister,  under 
considerable  excitement.  "  Mr.  Lander's  children 
were  there,  and  they  have  twice  as  far  to  go  as  we 
have.     They  have  to  walk  over  three  miles." 

"  And  how  did  Jimmy  get  on  at  school  ? "  inquired 
their  mother,  as  soon  as  there  was  a  place  for  her  to 
put  in  a  word. 

"  He  liked  it,"  answered  Mehetabel ;  "  he  said  his 
letters  ;  and  he  asked  the  master  how  he  knew  that 
letter  was  R." 

47 


4S  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Just  like  him,"  ejaculated  Thomas,  laughing  out^ 
right.  Thomas  had  just  come  in,  leaving  his  work 
when  he  saw  the  children  return.  "  The  master  will 
have  enough  to  do  to  answer  all  his  questions.  What 
did  the  master  tell  him  ? " 

"  He  told  him  that  he  learned  it  was  R  at  school, 
when  he  was  about  as  old  as  he  was,"  replied  Mehet- 
abel.  And  Thomas  was  giving  Jimmy  a  toss  in  the 
air,  by  way  of  sport,  while  she  w^as  relating  the  facts, 
and  Jimmy  himself  was  making  a  most  vigorous 
attempt  to  embellish  the  occurrences  of  the  day  from 
his  imperfect  vocabulary. 

*' How  did  you  like  your  ride,  Jimmy  .'^"  inquired 
Thomas. 

"  I  liked  it,"  was  the  child's  answer,  uttered  in  a 
gleeful  way. 

"  You  liked  it  better  than  Hit  did,  I  guess." 

*'  I  liked  it  well  enough,"  responded  Mehetabel. 

*'Wer'n't  you  awful  tired.?" 

"  I  wasn't  tired  much." 

"  Did  you  carry  him  all  the  way  } " 

"  Pretty  much.  He  walked  a  little  of  the  way 
home.     He  isn't  much  of  a  load." 

•'  Did  he  sit  still  in  school  1 " 

"  Pretty  still.  He  left  his  seat  once,  and  went 
over  to  scrape  the  acquaintance  of  another  boy 
opposite." 

"  What  did  the  master  say } " 

"  He  took  him  by  the  hand  and  led  him  back,  look- 
ing at  us,  and  smiling ;  and  he  told  him  that  each 
boy  and  girl  had  his  own  seat  in  school,  and  he  must 
keep  it" 


GETTING   ON.  49 


'•'You  are  a  great  one,  Jimmy,"  exclaimed  Thomas, 
tossing  the  little  midget  into  the  air  again.  "  You  will 
make  music  for  them  in  school." 

*'  Well,  children,  I  am  glad  that  you  like  your  school 
so  well,"  remarked  their  mother,  who  had  been  listen- 
ing to  the  prattle  with  maternal  interest.  "■  You  must 
make  the  most  of  it,  too,  for  we  can't  expect  many 
school  advantages  in  these  woods.  Poor  opportunities 
are  better  than  none." 

Ohio  schools  were  of  the  poorest  class  then,  short 
and  miserable.  The  teachers  knew  but  little  to  begin 
with,  and  children  had  to  travel  so  far  to  school  that 
their  attendance  was  limited  to  certain  parts  of  the 
year.  In  many  schools,  reading,  spelling,  and  writing 
were  the  only  branches  taught.  Geography  and  arith- 
metic were  added  to  the  studies  in  some  schools.  All 
of  these  branches  were  pursued  in  the  school  which 
the  Garfield  children  attended.  Teachers  in  the  new 
settlements,  at  that  time,  were  usually  males  ;  it  was 
not  supposed  that  females  could  teach  school  well. 
That  females  make  the  best  teachers,  as  a  class,  is  a 
recent  discovery. 

The  books  used  in  the  best  pioneer  schools  of  Ohio 
were  Webster's  Spelling-book,  the  English  Reader, 
Pike's  and  Adams'  Arithmetic,  and  Morse's  (old) 
Geography.  The  Garfields  possessed  all  of  these. 
They  had,  also,  the  Farmer's  Almanac,  and  a  copy  of 
Davy  Crockett's  Almanac,  which  was  found,  at  one 
time,  in  almost  every  cabin  of  the  West.  Reading- 
books  were  scarce  then  throughout  the  country,  in 
comparison  with  the  present  time  ;  in  the  wilds  of 
Ohio  they  were  not  so  plenty  as  panthers  and  wolves. 


50  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Many  of  the  few  books  found  there  related  to  exciting 
adventures  with  beasts  of  prey,  hair-breadth  escapes 
on  perilous  waters,  and  the  daring  exploits  of  pirates 
and  rascals  ;  and  they  were  illustrated  with  very  poor 
pictures.  Three  or  four  volumes,  besides  the  Bible 
and  school-books,  constituted  the  whole  literary  outfit 
of  the  Garfields.  They  had  more  brains  than  books, 
as  the  sequel  will  abundantly  prove. 

The  village  where  the  school  was  located  was  not 
much  of  a  village,  after  all.  In  addition  to  the  log 
school-house,  eighteen  by  twenty  feet,  there  was  a 
grist-mill,  and  a  log-house,  in  a  part  of  which  was  a 
store,  the  other  part  being  used  for  a  dwelling.  The 
place  is  now  known  by  the  name  of  Chagrin  Falls, 
and  derived  its  singular  name  from  the  following  fact : 
A  bright  Yankee  began  the  settlement,  attracted 
thither  by  the  stream  of  water.  He  removed  to  the 
place  in  the  winter  time,  when  the  stream  was  swollen 
and  swift,  and  he  erected  a  saw-mill.  But  when  the 
summer  came  the  stream  dried  up,  and  his  hopes  dried 
up  with  it.  His  chagrin  was  so  great  over  his  diy 
enterprise  that  he  named  the  locality  as  above,  in 
order  to  warn  his  Yankee  relations  against  repeating 
his  folly. 

We  cannot  delay  to  rehearse  much  that  transpired 
in  school  during  this  first  term  that  James  attended. 
Two  or  three  matters  of  special  interest  only  can  be 
noticed. 

We  have  said  that  James  was  very  familiar  with 
Bible  stories  ;  and  we  have  intimated  too,  that  he  was 
very  inquisitive.  His  questions  often  created  a  laugh 
in  school,  both  teacher  and  scholars  enjoying  their 


GETTING   ON.  5 1 


originality  and  pertinency  very  much.  The  fact  was, 
James  meant  to  understand  things  as  he  went  along, 
and  so  his  active  brain  put  many  inquiries  over  which 
the  school  was  merry.  They  were  not  merry  because 
his  questions  were  pointless  and  childish  ;  far  other- 
wise. They  were  merry  because  such  a  little  fellow 
showed  so  much  brightness  and  precocity  by  his  in- 
quiries. Scholars  and  teachers  came  to  regard  him  as 
a  sort  of  prodigy. 

One  day,  at  noon,  an  older  scholar  set  him  upon  the 
table,  saying : 

"  Now,  Jimmy,  you  be  master  and  ask  questions,  and 
we  will  be  scholars  and  answer  them." 

"Take  your  seats,  then,"  responded  Jimmy,  by 
way  of  consenting,  his  bright  eyes  sparkling  with 
delight. 

The  pupils  took  their  seats  in  glee. 

"Now  go  ahead,  Jimmy,"  cried  out  Jacob  Lander. 
"Don't  ask  too  hard  questions." 

Jimmy  immediately  began  on  his  hobby  —  Bible 
questions. 

"Who  made  the  ark?" 

"  Noah,"  answered  a  half  dozen  voices. 

"  Who  told  him  to  make  the  ark .'' " 

"God,"  replied  several. 

"  What  for  did  God  want  he  should  make  the  ark  ? " 

There  was  a  pause  ;  no  one  answered.  It  was  one 
of  Jacob  Lander's  hard  questions,  that  James  should 
have  avoided.  After  waiting  in  vain  for  an  answer, 
he  answered  it  himself. 

"To  save  his  self  and  family  in." 

"  Save  from  what  .•* "  cried  out  Jacob. 


52  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"From  the  flood,"  replied  James. 

"Who  was  the  oldest  man  ? "  James  continued. 

"Methusaleh,"  several  answered. 

"  How  old  was  he  .-*  " 

Nobody  could  tell,  and  so  James  told  them. 

"  Who  was  the  meekest  man  } "  * 

"  Moses,"  was  the  prompt  answer. 

"  Who  had  a  coat  of  many  colors  .?  " 

"Joseph,"  equally  prompt. 

"  Who  was  swallowed  in  the  Red  Sea  ? " 

Nobody  replied.     He  told. 

And  thus,  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  this  child  of 
not  quite  four  years  interrogated  the  scholars  around 
him,  presenting  one  of  the  most  marvellous  scenes 
on  record,  whether  in  wilderness  or  city.  From  his 
earliest  years  his  memory  was  very  remarkable,  em- 
bracing and  retaining  stories,  facts,  and  whatever  he 
heard,  with  unusual  accuracy.  He  acquired  very 
much  information  in  school  by  listening  to  the  recita- 
tions of  other  and  older  pupils.  Nothing  was  more 
common,  during  his  first  term  at  school,  than  for  him 
to  repeat  at  home  something  he  had  learned  from  the 
recitations  of  older  scholars.  Then,  too,  nothing 
escaped  his  notice.  His  faculty  of  observation  was 
ever  on  the  alert.  Language,  manners,  apparel, 
methods  of  work,  conversation,  almost  everything 
attracted  his  attention  ;  so  that  he  was  ever  surprising 
friends,  from  his  childhood,  by  the  amount  of  informa- 
tion he  possessed. 

He  was  a  great  imitator,  too.  Children  differ  very 
much  in  this  regard.  James  was  one  in  whom  this 
faculty  appeared  to  be  large  by  inheritance.     It  was 


GETTING   ON.  53 


encouraging  to  behave  well  in  his  presence,  it  was 
perilous  and  doubly  wicked  to  set  a  bad  example  before 
him.  Coupled  with  his  observation,  this  quality  made 
him  sharp  and  critical,  for  one  of  his  years. 

"  School  will  keep  through  the  winter,"  said  Me- 
hetabel  to  her  mother,  as  she  came  home  one  day, 
near  the  close  of  the  term.  "Jacob's  father  is  raising 
the  money  to  pay  the  master." 

*'  How  did  you  learn }  I  have  not  heard  of  it," 
answered  Mrs.  Garfield. 

"  Several  of  the  scholars  said  so ;  and  they  are  all 
going." 

*'  Going  to  have  a  vacation  }  "  inquired  her  mother. 

"  Yes ;  two  or  three  weeks ;  school  will  begin  in 
December  for  the  winter." 

"  I  am  very  glad  indeed  that  you  can  have  such  an 
opportunity  to  attend  school,"  continued  her  mother. 

"Then  I  can  go,  can  1 1 " 

"  Yes ;  you  can  all  go  except  Jimmy.  He  cannot 
go  so  far  in  the  winter  ;  and  it  will  be  too  hard  for  you 
to  carry  him  through  the  snow." 

"Will  Tom  go.?" 

"  I  hope  so  ;  he  has  worked  very  hard  that  the  rest 
of  you  might  go,  and  now  he  should  go." 

Ten  minutes  afterwards  Thomas  was  discussing 
the  matter,  and  presenting  reasons  why  he  could  not 
attend. 

"  I  shall  find  enough  to  do  taking  care  of  the  cows 
and  chopping  wood,  even  if  there  is  no  snow  to  shovel, 
which  is  not  very  likely." 

"  But  we  must  let  some  things  go  undone,  if  pos- 
sible, that  you  may  learn  when  you  can,"  suggested 


54  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

his  mother.  "  In  this  new  country  you  must  take 
education  when  you  can  get  it." 

**  I  can  study  at  home  evenings  and  stormy  days," 
replied  Thomas. 

"  That  is  what  Jimmy  must  do  —  study  at  home," 
continued  Mrs.  Garfield.  "  He  has  a  good  start  now, 
and  he  can  make  a  good  reader  before  next  summer." 

The  result  was  that  Thomas  did  not  attend  the 
winter  term,  nor  James.  Their  two  sisters  went,  and 
Mrs.  Garfield  instructed  James  and  assisted  Thomas 
somewhat  in  his  studies. 

Long  winter  evenings  in  the  woods  were  favorable 
for  study  by  the  light  of  the  blazing  fire,  that  made 
the  cabin  more  cheerful  even  than  it  was  in  day- 
time. Pioneers  could  not  afford  the  luxury  of  a  tal- 
low candle  or  an  oil  lamp.  Sometimes  they  adopted 
a  substitute  for  both  —  the  pitch-pine  knot.  But 
usually,  in  winter,  pioneers  depended  upon  the  light 
of  the  fireplace.  Fireplaces  were  very  large,  so  as  to 
admit  logs  four  feet  long,  with  a  quantity  of  smaller 
fuel  in  like  proportion.  When  the  mass  of  com- 
bustible material  was  fairly  ablaze,  the  light  and 
heat  penetrated  into  every  corner  of  the  cabin  ;  and 
the  heat  below  greatly  modified  the  excessive  cold 
of  the  loft  above. 

That  winter  was  a  memorable  one  for  James.  He 
made  decided  progress  in  spelling  and  reading  before 
the  next  summer  came,  with  its  hot  days  and  grow- 
ing crops.  It  was  after  the  winter  was  over  and 
gone,  and  the  warm  sunlight  was  bathing  the  forests 
and  gladdening  the  earth,  that  James  came  into 
possession  of  a  child's   volume  somehow,  —  either  it 


GETTING   ON,  55 


was  a  present  or  was  borrowed  of  a  neighbor,  — 
from  which  he  derived  much  real  pleasure.  One 
day  he  spelled  out  and  read  aloud  the  following  line  : 

"The  rain  came  pattering  on  the  roof." 

"Why,  mother!"  he  shouted,  under  visible  excite- 
ment, "  I've  heard  the  rain  do  that  myself." 

"You  have.?" 

"  Why,  yes,  I  have,"  he  continued,  as  if  a  new 
revelation  were  made  to  him.  And  then  he  read 
the  line  over  again,  with  more  emphasis  and  louder 
than  before : 

"The  rain  came  pattering  on  the  roof." 

"Yes,  mother,  I've  heard  it  just  so!"  and  the 
little  fellow  appeared  to  be  struggling  with  a  thought 
larger  than  ever  tasked  his  mind  before.  It  was 
the  first  time,  probably,  that  he  had  learned  the 
actual  use  of  words  to  represent  things,  to  describe 
objects  and  events  —  the  outside  world  on  paper. 

From  that  time  James  was  introduced  into  a  new 
world,  —  a  world  of  thought.  Words  expressed 
thoughts  to  him,  and  books  contained  words ;  and 
so  he  went  for  books  with  all  his  mind,  and  might, 
and  strength.  There  was  nothing  about  the  cabin 
equal  to  a  book.  He  preferred  the  "  English  Reader  " 
to  anything  that  could  be  raised  on  the  little  farm. 
He  revelled  in  books  —  such  books  as  he  could 
find  at  that  time  when  there  was  a  dearth  of  books. 
Day  after  day  the  "  English  Reader "  was  his 
companion.  He  would  lie  flat  upon  the  cabin 
floor  by  the  hour,  or  sprawl  himself  out  under  a  tree, 
on  a  warm  summer  day,  with  the  "  English  Reader  " 
in  his  hand,  exploring  its  mines  of  thought,  master- 


56  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ing  its  wonderful  knowledge,  and  making  himself 
familiar  with  its  inspiring  contents.  This  was  before 
the  lad  was  five  years  old ;  and  he  was  scarcely 
six  years  old  when  he  had  committed  to  memory  a 
great  portion  of  that  "  Reader."  Other  volumes,  too, 
occupied  much  of  his  attention,  though  none  to  such 
an  extent  as  the  ''English  Reader."  Such  was  his 
childish  devotion  to  books  that  his  mother  could 
scarcely  refrain  from  prophesying,  even  then,  an 
intellectual  career  for  him.  She  knew  not  how  it 
could  be  done, — all  the  surroundings  of  the  family 
were  unfriendly  to  such  an  experience,  —  but  some- 
how she  was  made  to  feel  that  there  was  a  wider, 
grander  field  of  action  for  that  active,  precocious 
mind. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

TRIALS  AND  TRIUMPHS. 

E  can  have  a  school-house  nearer  to  us,"  re- 
marked Mrs.  Garfield  to  Mr.  Boynton. 
''  For  the  sake  of  my  James,  I  wish  we 
could  have." 

"  There  are  scarcely  enough  families  yet  to  make 
such  a  change,"  replied  Mr.  Boynton  ;  "some  of  them 
would  have  to  go  as  far  as  they  do  now." 

"  That  is  very  true  ;  but  more  families  would  have 
a  shorter  distance  to  go  than  they  have  now.  I  think 
that  fact  is  worth  considering." 

Mrs.  Garfield  was  giving  utterance,  for  the  first 
time,  to  thoughts  that  had  been  in  her  mind  for  sever- 
al months.  In  her  own  mind  she  had  numbered  the 
families  which  might  be  induced  to  unite  in  erecting 
a  log  school-house  upon  one  corner  of  her  farm.  She 
continued  : 

"  Suppose  you  inquire  of  Mr.  Collins  and  others, 
and  learn  what  they  think  about  it.  If  eight  or  ten 
families  will  unite,  or  even  eight  families,  we  can  have 
a  school  nearer  home.  I  will  give  the  land  on  which 
to  build  the  house  ;  and  three  days'  labor  by  seven  or 
eight   men  will   complete   the  building.     It   is  not   a 

57 


58  LOG-CABIX   TO  WHITE   HOUSE. 

long  or  expensive  job,  and  it  is  just  the  time  to  start 
now,  if  the  thing  is  to  be  done." 

**  Perhaps  it  can  be  done,"  Mr.  Boynton  answered 
thoughtfully.  *'  The  more  I  look  at  it,  the  less  diffi- 
cult it  seems.  I  will  consult  the  neighbors  you  men- 
tion, and  others,  too.  I  should  be  as  pleased  as 
anybody  to  have  it  done."  And  as  he  spoke  the  last 
sentence  he  turned  towards  home. 

Without  recording  the  details  of  this  new  enter- 
prise, we  need  only  say,  that  it  was  very  easily  accom- 
plished ;  and  before  winter  set  in,  a  log  school-house 
stood  on  the  Garfield  farm.  Neighbors  welcomed  the 
project,  especially  because  it  would  be  an  advantage 
to  Widow  Garfield,  whom  they  very  much  respected, 
and  to  whom  their  warmest  sympathies  had  always 
been  tendered  in  her  affliction. 

"  Now  you  can  go  to  school  by  your  own  convey- 
ance," said  Thomas  to  Jimmy,  one  day  after  the 
school-house  was  finished.  "  You  won't  have  to  make 
a  beast  of  burden  of  Hit  any  longer.  You  will  like 
that,  won't  you  .'*  " 

James  assented  ;  when  his  mother  added  : 

"  Your  master  is  coming  from  New  Hampshire, 
where  I  was  born.  You  will  like  him ;  and  he  is  to 
board  here  to  begin  with." 

Mrs.  Garfield  had  four  children,  and  Mr.  Boynton 
six,  to  go  to  school,  — ten  in  all  from  two  families. 

It  was  through  Mrs.  Garfield's  influence  that  the 
school-house  was  built ;  and  then,  it  was  through  her 
influence  that  a  school-master  was  imported  from  New 
Hampshire.  The  school-house  was  twenty  feet  square, 
with  puncheon  floor,  slab  roof,  and  log  benches  with- 


TRIALS  AND    TRIUMPHS.  59 

out  backs,  —  large  enough  to  accommodate  twenty- 
five  scholars.  Teachers  always  "boarded  round," 
dividing  the  time  equally  among  the  families  ;  and  it 
was  considered  quite  an  advantage  to  a  family  of  chil- 
dren to  have  the  "master"  board  with  them. 

By  hard  labor,  assisted  by  his  mother  and  sisters, 
Thomas  harvested  the  crops  in  the  autumn,  cut  and 
hauled  wood,  and  did  other  necessary  work,  so  that 
he  could  attend  the  winter  term  of  school  with  his 
sisters  and  James.  He  had  everything  about  the  farm 
in  fine  order  when  December  and  the  school-master, 
whose  name  was  Foster,  arrived.  They  came  to- 
gether, and  one  was  about  as  rough  as  the  other. 
The  "master  "  was  a  young  man  of  twenty  years,  un- 
couth in  his  appearance,  large  and  unwieldy,  but  a 
sensible  sort  of  a  Yankee,  who  had  picked  up  con- 
siderable knowledge  without  going  to  school  or  read- 
ing much.  On  the  whole,  he  was  full  as  much  of  a 
man  as  pioneers  could  expect  for  the  small  wages 
they  were  able  to  pay.  He  was  kind-hearted,  of  good 
character,  and  was  really  influenced  by  a  strong  desire 
to  benefit  his  pupils. 

He  took  up  his  abode  at  the  beginning  of  school 
with  Mrs.  Garfield,  and  slept  in  the  loft  with  Thomas 
and  James.  At  once  his  attention  was  drawn  to 
James,  as  a  very  precocious  child.  Good  terms  were 
established  between  them  ;  and  when  they  started  off 
together  for  the  school-house,  on  the  first  day  of 
school,  the  teacher  said  to  him,  putting  his  hand 
kindly  on  his  head  : 

"  If  you  learn  well,  my  boy,  you  may  grow  up  yet 
and  be  a  general." 


6o  LOG-CAB IX   TO  WHITE   HOUSE, 

James  did  not  know  exactly  what  a  general  was, 
but  then  he  concluded  that  a  general  must  be  some 
great  affair,  or  a  school-master  would  not  speak  so 
favorably  of  him.  The  remark  fastened  upon  the  lad's 
mind  ;  somehow  he  felt,  all  through  the  day,  that  he 
was  beginning  just  then  to  make  a  general,  whatever 
that  might  be.  It  was  not  out  of  his  mind  for  a 
minute  :  and  he  labored  somewhat  upon  the  point, 
how  long  a  time  it  would  take  to  make  him  into  a 
general.  However,  he  knew  that  there  was  one  being 
who  stood  between  him,  and  all  learning,  and  all  the 
future, — and  that  being  was  his  mother.  What  he 
did  not  know,  she  would  know.  As  soon  as  he 
reached  home,  after  school,  he  inquired  : 

"  Ma,  what 's  a  gen'ral .?  " 

"What's  what.-*"  his  mother  answered,  not  com- 
prehending his  question. 

"  What 's  a  gen'ral }  "  James  repeated,  somewhat 
more  distinctly. 

"  Oh,  I  see  now  —  a  general  !  "  she  answered  ; 
"that  is  what  you  want  to  know." 

"  Yes  ;  the  master  said  I  might  make  a  gen'ral  if  I 
learn." 

"  That  is  what  put  it  into  your  head,  then,"  con- 
tinued his  mother,  laughing,  "  You  don't  know 
whether  you  would  like  to  be  one  or  not,  I  suppose  : 
is  that  it  }  " 

"  I  want  to  know  what  it  is,"  James  replied. 

"  Well,  I  will  tell  you,  my  son,  for  your  great-grand- 
father fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War  under  a  gen- 
eral. You  ought  to  know  something  about  that,  and 
something  about  your  ancestors,  too,  as  well  as  about 
a  general." 


TRIALS  AND    TRIUMPHS.  6 1 

She  proceeded  to  tell  him  about  his  paternal  ances- 
tors :  "  How  Edward  Garfield  came  to  this  country 
from  England,  with  John  Winthrop,  John  Endicott, 
Francis  Higginson,  and  many  other  Puritans,  to 
escape  oppression  at  home,  and  settled  in  Watertown, 
Mass.,  which  was  as  much  of  a  wilderness  then  as 
Ohio  was,  when  your  father  removed  here.  The  In- 
dians were  his  neighbors,  and  he  bought  land  of  them, 
and  lived  in  peace  with  them.  There  he  and  his  de- 
scendants lived,  some  of  them  removing  into  other 
towns,  and  many  of  them  among  the  most  influential 
citizens  of  that  time.  By  and  by,  England,  the 
mother-country,  made  war  upon  the  people  there,  and 
the  fight  of  Concord  bridge  occurred  on  the  19th  of 
April,  1775.  The  soldiers  of  England  wore  red  coats, 
glittering  with  brass  buttons,  and  they  carried  guns 
with  which  to  shoot  down  the  farmers  and  people  of 
Massachusetts  Colony,  unless  they  would  surrender 
and  obey  the  King  of  England.  But  the  men  would 
do  neither.  They  seized  their  guns,  determined  to 
defend  themselves,  and  shoot  the  red-coats  rather 
than  continue  to  be  subject  to  the  king.  Your  great- 
uncle,  Abraham  Garfield,  was  among  the  soldiers  at 
Concord  Bridge.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  in  which  our  soldiers  fought 
bravely  for  their  rights,  and  your  great-grandfather, 
Solomon  Garfield,  was  one  of  them.  Then  our  sol- 
diers wore  blue  coats,  trimmed  with  brass  buttons, 
and  they  were  led  by  generals  who  were  the  most 
distinguished  men,  like  General  Washington.  The 
generals  wore  coats  that  shone  with  gold  lace,  and 
epaulets,  or  ornaments,  on  their  shoulders,  and  hats 


62  LOG-CAB IX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

like  the  one  General  Washington  wears  in  the  almanac 
picture,  made  showy  with  gold  lace  and  a  feather. 
Generals  carried  swords  instead  of  guns ;  and  they 
rode  horseback,  and  led  the  soldiers  into  battle.  I 
hope  we  shall  never  want  any  more  generals  in  this 
country,  for  it  is  terrible  to  shoot  down  men  as  they 
do  in  war.  But  by  study  and  learning  you  can  make 
a  man  equal  to  a  general,  and  be  as  honored,  without 
killing  your  fellow-men. 

''When  the  Revolutionary  War  was  over,  your 
great-grandfather  removed  into  the  State  of  New 
York,  where  he  had  a  son  whom  he  named  Thomas. 
Thomas  grew  up  to  be  a  man,  and  was  married,  and 
had  a  son  whom  he  named  Abram  ;  and  this  Abrara 
was  your  father.  Now,  it  will  be  easy  for  you  to  re- 
member, that  Solomon  Garfield  was  your  great-grand- 
father, a  soldier  of  the  American  Revolution ;  that 
Thomas  Garfield,  a  pioneer  of  New  York  state,  was 
your  grandfather,  and  Abram,  his  son,  a  pioneer  of 
Ohio,  was  your  father.  There  was  no  general  among 
all  your  ancestors,  though  some  of  them  were  equal 
to  generals.  If  you  should  ever  become  a  general, 
you  will  be  what  no  one  of  your  ancestors  ever  was,  as 
far  back  as  we  can  trace  them  —  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years." 

James  listened  to  this  recital  with  wonder.  He 
scarcely  knew  before  that  he  was  connected  with  the 
world  outside  of  the  Ohio  wilderness.  Now,  he 
clearly  understood  that  his  relations  acted  a  conspicu- 
ous part  in  settling  this  country,  and  were  people  of 
much  consequence.  It  was  a  new  and  inspiring 
thought  to  him.     His  cabin  home  was  invested  with 


TRIALS  AND    TRIUMPHS.  63 


new  interest  and  more  importance.  How  far  his  life 
was  influenced  by  this  revelation  of  the  past,  we  can- 
not say,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  his  active  brain 
was  stirred  to  nobler  thought,  and  his  young  heart 
stamped  by  indelible  impressions. 

James  believed  in  his  teacher,  and  his  teacher  be- 
lieved in  him.  There  was  mutual  attraction  from  the 
outset.  The  teacher  saw  that  the  backwoods  boy  was 
a  great  man  in  embryo.  He  was  glad  to  have  such 
a  scholar  under  his  tuition.  He  was  somewhat  taken 
aback,  however,  by  subsequent  occurrences.  The 
second  day  of  school  he  established  the  following 
rule  : 

''  Scholars  cannot  study  their  lessons  and  look  about 
the  school-room  :  therefore  gazing  about  is  strictly 
forbidden." 

It  was  a  novel  rule  to  the  pupils.  It  savored  of 
more  strictness  than  they  had  been  accustomed  to. 
It  was  a  very  difficult  rule  for  James  to  observe.  He 
acquired  much  information  by  his  close  observation. 
His  two  eyes  and  two  ears  were  more  than  books  to 
him.  Besides,  he  had  never  undertaken  to  perform 
the  feat  of  sitting  bolt  upright  upon  a  log  bench 
without  a  back,  and  looking  down  upon  his  book 
with  steady  gaze.  It  was  a  severe  ordeal  for  a  boy 
who  never  sat  still  in  his  life,  and  who  evidently 
was  not  constructed  upon  the  principle  of  sitting  still. 
However,  his  heart  accepted  the  rule,  and  he  meant 

to   do  the  best  that  he   could  with  it.      If  he  were 

« 

to  make  a  general,  or  something  else  as  good,  he 
must  do  as  the  "master"  told  him  to  do.  As  much 
as  that  was   clear   to    him.     But   the  first  thing    he 


64  LOG-CAB IX  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

knew,  his  eyes  were  off  the  book,  and  on  the  class 
reciting. 

"James!"  said  the  teacher  pleasantly,  "have  you 
forgotten  the  rule  so  quick  ?  " 

"  I  forgot,"  was  James'  laconic  reply ;  and  down 
dashed  his  eyes  upon  his  book.  Not  long,  however. 
A  taking  answer  to  a  question  in  the  class  on  the 
floor  brought  up  his  eyes  again,  as  if  by  magic. 

"  What !  so  soon  forgetting  the  rule  again,  James  .''  " 
exclaimed  the  teacher.  "  You  have  a  very  short 
memory." 

James  looked  down  upon  his  book  abashed,  but  he 
made  no  reply.  The  fact  was,  he  meant  to  mind  the 
rule  and  do  his  best  to  please  his  teacher.  But  it 
was  never  intended  that  two  such  eyes  and  two  such 
ears  as  James  possessed  should  come  under  a  rule 
like  that.  The  teacher  was  unwittingly  at  fault  here. 
He  did  not  quite  understand  his  pupil ;  and  so  he  in- 
sisted upon  the  observance  of  the  rule,  and  for  two 
weeks  continued  to  correct  James,  hoping  that  he 
would  finally  bring  his  eyes  and  ears  into  complete 
subjection.  But  his  effort  was  fruitless.  James  was 
incorrigible,  when  he  meant  to  be  obedient,  and  he 
grew  nervous  under  the  discipline.  He  thought  so 
much  about  keeping  his  eyes  in  the  prescribed  place 
that  he  could  think  very  little  about  his  lessons ;  and 
so  he  became  comparatively  dull  and  defective  in  his 
recitations. 

At  length,  just  before  the  teacher  left  Mrs.  Gar- 
field's for  another  boarding-place,  he  said  to  her,  in 
James'  presence  : 

"  I  do  not  want  to  wound  your  feelings,  James  is 
such  a  noble  boy;  but  then  I  want  to  tell  you  —  " 


TRIALS  AND    TRIUMPHS.  65 


''Say  on,"  replied  Mrs.  Garfield,  quite  startled  by 
the  solemn  tone  of  the  "master." 

"James  is  not  quite  the  boy  in  school  that  I  ex- 
pected." 

"  How  so  }  "  interrupted  Mrs.  Garfield,  completely 
taken  by  surprise.     "You  astonish  me." 

"  I  know  that  you  will  be  grieved,  but  I  think  it  is 
my  duty  to  tell  you."  And  Mrs.  Garfield  could  see 
that  he  shrunk  from  telling  her,  and  she  began  to 
think  that  something  awful  had  happened;  still  she 
repeated  : 

"  Say  on." 

"  Well,  it  is  only  this  :  James  don't  sit  still,  and  he 
don't  learn  his  lessons.  I  fear  that  I  shall  not  be  able 
to  make  a  scholar  of  him." 

"  O  James  !  "  his  mother  exclaimed,  as  if  the  teacher 
had  put  a  shot  through  her  body.  That  was  all  she 
said  ;  and  it  was  uttered  in  a  tone  of  agony  that  went 
straight  to  the  little  fellow's  heart,  as  he  stood  looking 
and  Hstening.  She  sent  him  to  school  that  he  might 
make  a  scholar,  and  now  her  hopes  were  dashed  in  a 
moment.  No  wonder  that  her  response  was  an  excla- 
mation of  disappointment  and  grief ! 

"  I  will  be  a  good  boy,"  ejaculated  James,  bursting 
into  tears,  and  burying  his  face  in  his  mother's  lap. 
"  I  mean  to  be  a  good  boy."  And  he  never  told  more 
truth  in  a  single  sentence  than  he  did  in  the  last  one. 
It  never  will  do  for  a  philosopher,  however  wise,  to 
attempt  to  repress  the  centrifugal  force  of  nature  ;  and 
that  was  what  the  teacher  was  trying  to  do. 

"Perhaps  he  can't  sit  still,"  at  length  Mrs.  Garfield 
suggested  ;  "he  never  was  still  in  his  life." 


^^  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 


**I  will  sit  still,"  was  the  boy's  response,  still  sob- 
bing as  if  his  heart  would  burst,  yet  speaking  before 
the  teacher  had  time  to  reply. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  answered  the  teacher,  thoughtfully, 
as  if  the  grieved  mother  had  awakened  a  new  idea  in 
him. 

''  I  never  knew  him  to  fail  of  learning  before,"  Mrs. 
Garfield  continued  ;  "  never." 

*'  I  will  learn,  mother !  "  the  boy  shouted  between 
his  sobs. 

"You  mean  to  learn,  I  have  no  doubt,"  answered 
his  mother.  "  Some  boys  do  worse  than  they  intend  ; 
perhaps  that  is  the  trouble  with  you." 

"  You  dear  child,"  said  the  teacher,  putting  his  hand 
upon  his  head,  touched  by  the  lad's  piteous  appeals ; 
**  you  and  I  are  good  friends,  and  I  think  we  shall  have 
no  more  trouble.  I  will  try  you  again.  So  wipe  up, 
and  let  us  laugh  and  not  cry." 

The  teacher  saw  his  mistake.  The  child's  mother 
had  opened  his  eyes  by  her  wise  suggestion.  In  his 
mind  he  resolved  to  let  the  centrifugal  force  alone,  and 
adopt  another  policy.  So  the  subject  was  dropped, 
and  James  went  to  school  on  the  following  day,  to  sit 
still  or  not,  as  he  pleased.  The  teacher  resolved  to 
leave  him  to  himself,  and  see  what  the  effect  would  be. 
The  result  was  excellent.  The  boy  did  not  sit  still,  of 
course  he  did  not ;  but  he  was  natural  and  happy,  and 
his  eyes  fulfilled  their  function  in  roaming  about  more 
or  less,  and  his  ears  heard  what  was  going  on  in  the 
school-house.  The  teacher  could  not  make  a  blind 
and  deaf  boy  of  him,  any  way,  and  so  he  ceased  to  try. 
He  allowed  him  to  sec  and  hear  for  himself ;  and  it 


TRIALS  AND    TRIUMPHS.  6/ 


just  filled  the  lad  with  happiness.  It  fired  his  ambi- 
tion, and  brought  out  his  brilliant  parts,  so  that  he 
became  the  star  of  the  school. 

It  was  quite  a  number  of  days  before  Mrs.  Garfield 
saw  the  teacher  again,  as  he  went  to  board  with  another 
family.  Then  he  called  to  cheer  the  mother,  whom  he 
had  so  thoroughly  grieved.  Her  first  question  was,  as 
he  entered  her  house,  — 

"  How  does  James  do  now  }  " 

"Oh,  grandly,"  the  teacher  replied,  in  a  tone  that 
indicated  great  satisfaction  in  being  able  to  speak  so 
approvingly. 

"I  am  so  glad!"  was  the  mother's  only  response; 
and  her  heart  was  healed. 

"He  is  perpetual  motion  in  school,"  continued  the 
teacher,  ''  but  he  learns ;  no  scholar  learns  so  fast  as 
he  does." 

"  Then  you  have  given  up  your  rule  ? "  Mrs.  Garfield 
remarked,  inquiringly. 

"  Yes  ;  I  think  you  are  right  about  him.  Such  a 
rule  cramps  him  ;  he  can't  be  himself  under  it.  I 
guess  he  tried  hard  to  obey  it." 

"  Children  are  very  unlike,"  continued  Mrs.  Garfield. 
"James  is  unlike  my  other  children  in  his  restlessness 
and  energy,  as  well  as  in  his  precociousness.  I  hope 
that  he  will  come  out  all  right." 

"  Come  out  all  right !  "  responded  the  teacher.  "  My 
word  for  it,  he  will  make  his  mark  in  the  world  ;  you 
can  depend  on  that." 

"I  hope  so;"  and  Mrs.  Garfield  put  her  whole 
mother's  heart  into  those  last  three  words. 

The  restive  nature  of  James  was  a  theme  of  remark 


68  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

frequently.  Thomas  sometimes  complained  of  it.  He 
lodged  with  James,  and  the  latter  would  toss  and  tum- 
ble about,  often  awaking  Thomas  by  his  movements, 
kicking  off  the  clothes,  and  thereby  putting  himself 
and  brother  to  considerable  inconvenience.  Often 
he  would  turn  over,  and  feeling  cold  after  having 
kicked  off  the  bedclothes,  he  would  say  in  his  sleep,  — 

*'Tom,  cover  me  up." 

Thomas  would  pull  the  clothing  over  him,  and  lie 
down  to  his  dreams,  but  only  to  repeat  the  operation 
again  and  again.  It  was  said  of  James,  twenty-five 
years  after  that  time,  when  he  had  become  a  general, 
that,  one  night,  after  a  terrible  battle,  he  laid  down 
with  other  officers  to  sleep,  and  in  his  restlessness  he 
kicked  off  his  covering  ;  then,  turning  partly  over,  he 
said,  — 

**Tom,  cover  me  up."  ' 

An  officer  pulled  the  blanket  over  him,  and  awoke 
him  by  the  act.  On  being  told  of  his  request  in  his 
sleep,  James  thought  of  his  good  brother  Thomas  and 
of  the  little  log-house  in  the  woods  of  Ohio  ;  and  he 
turned  over  and  wept,  as  he  did  in  childhood  when 
the  teacher  concluded  that  he  could  not  make  a 
scholar  of  him. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  school  the  teacher  had 
said : 

"At  the  close  of  the  term  I  shall  present  this  Tes- 
tament (holding  up  a  pretty  Testament  of  rather 
diminutive  size)  to  the  best  scholar,  —  best  in  study, 
behavior,  and  all  that  makes  a  good  scholar." 

It  was  a  new  thing  to  them,  and  it  proved  quite  an 
incentive  to  most  of  the  pupils.     Several  tried  hard 


TRIALS  AND    TRIUMPHS,  69 

for  it ;  but  it  was  pretty  well  understood,  before  the 
term  was  half  through,  who  would  have  the  book. 
None  were  surprised  when,  at  the  close  of  the  last 
day  of  school,  the  teacher  said,  — 

"James  !  step  this  way." 

James  lost  no  time  in  obeying. 

*'This  book,"  passing  the  Testament  to  him,  *' is 
yours.  I  think  you  have  fairly  earned  it  as  the  best 
scholar  in  school.  I  have  no  fault  to  find  with  any 
scholar ;  but  your  remarkable  progress  entitles  you  to 
the  book." 

The  pupils  were  all  satisfied  ;  James  was  a  happy 
boy,  and  his  mother  wept  tears  of  joy. 

From  the  time  that  James  was  permitted  to  be 
himself  in  school,  his  advancement  was  remarkable. 
Every  teacher  regarded  him  as  a  boy  of  uncommon 
talents,  and  every  scholar  was  attracted  to  him  as  by 
magnetic  influence.  He  read  every  book  that  he 
could  beg  or  borrow ;  yet  he  was  efficient  to  assist 
Thomas  on  the  farm  at  six  years  of  age.  He  went 
to  school  whenever  there  was  a  school ;  but  that  was 
only  a  few  weeks  in  a  year.  He  improved  his  even- 
ings and  leisure  time  at  home,  however,  and  all  the 
books  at  hand  were  read  over  and  over,  until  he  was 
perfectly  familiar  with  their  contents.  His  mental 
appetite  was  always  craving,  nor  was  it  ever  gorged 
by  excess  of  food.  It  appeared  to  be  capable  of  ap- 
propriating and  digesting  all  that  the  times  and  locality 
could  furnish. 

About  this  time  the  Garfield  and  Boynton  children 
formed  a  kind  of  club  for  improvement  in  spelling. 
The  spelling-book  became  the  field  of  their  exploits. 


70  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

They  studied  it  enthusiastically,  and  drilled  each 
other  in  its  contents,  as  if  they  meant  to  master  it. 
The  result  was  great  proficiency  in  spelling  —  all  of 
them  excelling  their  companions  at  school.  The  drill 
was  of  great  advantage  to  them  in  spelling-matches, 
when  the  winter  school  was  going ;  especially  to 
James,  who  became  quite  an  enthusiast  in  that  branch. 
He  was  the  best  speller  in  school,  when  more  than 
half  the  pupils  were  older  than  he.  Some  of 
them  said  that  James  could  spell  every  word  in  the 
book  correctly.  Whether  he  could  or  not,  in  choos- 
ing sides  for  a  spelling-match,  James  was  sure  to  be 
the  first  one  chosen. 


CHAPTER  V. 

BOY  FARMER. 

T  eight  years  of  age,  James  had  his  daily 
labor  to  perform  as  steadily  as  Thomas- 
The  latter  went  out  to  work  among  the 
neighbors,  often  imposing  thereby  quite  a 
responsibility  upon  James,  who  looked  after  the  stock 
and  farm  at  home.  He  could  chop  wood,  milk  cows, 
shell  corn,  cultivate  vegetables,  and  do  many  other 
things  that  farmers  must  do. 

It  was  very  great  assistance  to  the  family  when 
Thomas  could  earn  a  little  money  by  his  labor.  That 
money  procured  some  indispensable  articles,  the  ab- 
sence of  which  was  a  real  privation  both  to  mother 
and  children.  They  needed  more  money  now  than 
ever,  because  all  must  have  shoes,  and  all  must  have 
books  ;  and  there  were  the  teachers  to  pay,  and  occa- 
sional meetings  at  the  school-house  now  were  some 
expense.  So  that  the  earnings  of  Thomas  just  met  a 
demand  of  the  time,  in  which  every  member  of  the 
household  shared. 

"You  are  eight   years  old,  my  son,  and   Thomas 
is  seventeen,"  said  Mrs.  Garfield  to  James.     "Thomas 
was  not  eleven  years  old  when  your  father  died,  and 
71 


72  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  had  to  take  your  father's  place  on  the  farm.  You 
must  be  getting  ready  to  take  Thomas's  place,  for  he 
will  soon  be  of  age,  and  then  he  will  have  to  go  out 
into  the  world  to  seek  his  fortune,  and  you  will  have 
to  take  care  of  the  farm." 

"  I  can  do  that,"  James  answered. 

"  Not  without  learning  how  to  do  it,"  said  his 
mother.  *  Practice  makes  perfect '  is  an  old  and 
true  proverb." 

"  I  know  that  I  can  take  care  of  the  farm,  if  Tom 
could,"  interrupted  James  with  some  assurance. 

"Yes,  when  you  are  as  old  as  he,"  suggested  his 
mother. 

"That  is  what  I  mean,  —  when  I  get  to  be  as  old 
as  he  was." 

"  I  hope  that  some  day  you  will  do  something  bet- 
ter than  farming,"  continued  Mrs.  Garfield. 

"What  is  there  better  than  farming.?"  James 
asked. 

"  It  is  better  for  some  men  to  teach  and  preach. 
Wouldn't  you  like  to  teach  school  t " 

"When  I  am  old  enough,  I  should." 

"  Well,  it  won't  be  long  before  you  are  old  enough. 
If  you  are  qualified,  you  can  teach  school  when  you 
are  as  old  as  Thomas  is  now." 

"  When  I  am  seventeen  t "  James  responded  with 
some  surprise.  All  of  his  teachers  had  been  older 
than  that,  and  he  could  scarcely  see  how  he  could  do 
the  same  at  seventeen. 

"  Yes,  at  seventeen  or  eighteen.  Many  young  men 
teach  school  as  early  as  that.  But  farming  comes 
first  in  order,  as  we  are  situated." 


BOY  FARMER.  73 


"And  it  is  time  to  get  the  cows,  now,"  remarked 
James,  hurrying  off  for  them,  and  terminating  the  con- 
versation. 

James  was  a  self-reliant  boy,  just  the  one  to  take 
hold  of  farm  work  with  tact  and  vigor.  He  scarcely 
knew  what  "/  caiit''  meant.  It  was  an  expression 
that  he  never  used.  The  phrase  that  he  had  just  em- 
ployed in  reply  to  his  mother,  ''  I  can  do  tJiat,''  was  a 
common  one  with  him.  Once  it  put  him  into  a  laugh- 
able position.  He  was  after  hens'  eggs  in  the  barn, 
with  his  playmate,  Edwin  Mapes. 

"  Look  here,  Jim  !  "  called  out  Edwin,  at  the  same 
time  exhibiting  an  Q.g^  that  he  had  found. 

"  You're  a  lucky  fellow,  "  answered  James,  taking 
the  ^gg, 

"  Suck  it,"  responded  Edwin ;  "  some  boys  suck 
eggs." 

"  I  never  did,"  replied  James. 

"Nor  I,"  answered  Edwin,  "but  I  could  do  it,  I 
suppose." 

"  So  could  I,  if  other  boys  have  done  it,"  continued 
James  in  rather  a  characteristic  way. 

"  You  can't  do  it,"  challenged  Edwin ;  "  I  stump  you 
to  do  it." 

Putting  it  in  that  way  aroused  the  indomitable  spirit 
of  James,  and  he  accepted  the  challenge. 

"  Here  goes  my  first  raw  egg,"  he  exclaimed  as  the 
yolk  went  into  his  mouth.  He  was  very  fond  of 
boiled  eggs,  but  the  raw  one  proved  nauseating,  and 
would  not  down  at  his  biddinsf. 

"  Sticks  in  your  crop,  don't  it  ? "  shouted  Edwin, 
laughing  heartily  over  the  spectacle. 


74  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

James  was  not  in  a  condition  to  reply,  but  his 
action  seemed  to  say  : 

"  I  said  I  could  swallow  an  ^gg,  and  I  will." 

His  stomach  heaved,  his  face  scowled,  and  Edwin 
roared  :  still  James  held  to  the  ^gg^  and  made  for  the 
house  as  fast  as  his  nimble  limbs  could  take  him, 
Edwin  following  after  to  learn  what  next.  Rushing 
into  the  house  James  seized  a  piece  of  bread,  thrust 
it  into  his  mouth,  chewed  it  up  with  the  ^ggy  and 
swallowed  the  whole  together. 

**  There  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  it's  done." 

He  did  what  he  said  he  would,  and  he  felt  like  a 
conqueror.  Edwin  swayed  to  and  fro  with  laughter  ; 
and,  although  forty  years  have  elapsed  since  that  day, 
it  is  not  impossible  for  him  to  get  up  a  laugh  over  it 
still.  Mrs.  Garfield  looked  on  with  curious  interest, 
not  comprehending  the  meaning  of  the  affair  until  an 
explanation  followed.  Then  she  only  smiled,  and  said 
"  Foolish  boy  !  " 

He  was  a  "  foolish  boy  ;  "  "  foolish  "  just  as  many 
promising  boys  are  "foolish  "at  times.  But  the  spirit 
of  the  lad  appeared  through  the  "  foolish  "  act.  Never- 
theless, the  "/  can''  element  of  his  character  rather 
dignified  the  performance.  The  more  we  think  of  it, 
the  more  we  are  inclined  to  take  back  our  endorse- 
ment of  that  word  "  foolish,"  because  the  act  was  an 
outcome  of  his  self-reliance.  When  William  Carey, 
the  renowned  missionary  to  India,  was  a  boy,  he  pos- 
sessed a  daring,  adventurous  spirit,  that  expressed 
itself  in  climbing  trees  and  buildings,  and  in  going 
where,  and  doing  what,  few  boys  would  do  because  of 
the  peril.     One  day  he  fell  from  the  top  of  a  tree,  on 


BOV  FARMER. 


7S 


which  he  perched  like  an  owl,  and  broke  one  of  his 
legs.     He  was  confined  to  the  house  and  bed  several 
weeks ;  but  the  first  thing  he  did  on  his  recovery  was 
to  climb  that  identical  tree  to  its  very  top,  and  seat 
himself  on  the  bough  from  which  he  had  fallen,  to 
show  that  the  feat  was  not  impossible.     There  is  no 
doubt  that  his  mother  called  him  a  ''foolish  boy,"  to 
risk  his  limbs  and  life  again  on  a  tree;  but  his  ad- 
mirers have  ever  loved  to  rehearse  the  deed,  as  proof 
of  the  boy's  invincible,  reliant  spirit.      No  one  who 
reads  of  Carey's  immense  labors  for  the  heathen,  his 
fearlessness  in  great  danger,  his  hair-breadth  escapes 
from  death,  his  tact  and  coolness  in  every  emergency, 
can  fail  to  see  that  his  "foolish"  act  of  climbing  the 
tree  was  a  good  illustration  of  the  maxim,  that  "  The 
boy  is  "father  of  the  man." 

James  was  not  egotistical   or  self-confident;   these 
are   no   part    of    self-reliance.       Nor   was    he   proud ; 
pride  is  no  part  of   self-reliance.     He  was  not   con- 
scious of  having  anything  to  be  proud  of.     No  boy 
was  ever  more  simple-hearted  and  confiding  in  others 
than  was  he.     He  did    not  tell    his  mother   that    he 
could  run  the   farm    because    he   overrated    his   abili- 
ties;  it  was  the  honest   expression  of   what  he  was 
willing  to  do,  and  what  he  thought  he  could  do.     It 
was  the  opposite  of   that   inefficient,  irresolute    boy- 
hood that  exclaims,   *'  I   can't,"  when  it  ought   to   be 
ashamed  to  say  it ;   and  when  a  decided,  hearty,  "  I 
can,"    would   prove   a   trumpet-call    to    duty,  rallying 
all  the  powers  to  instant  action.     This  was  one  thing 
that  encouraged   his   mother   to   expect    so   much    of 
him  when  he  should  become  a  man.     On  one  occa- 


7^  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUS^. 

sion,  after  he  began  to  labor  on  the  farm,  and  quite 
a  task  was  before  him,  she  said  to  him  : 

"James,  half  the  battle  is  in  thinking  you  can  do  a 
thing.  My  father  used  to  say,  '  Where  there's  a  will, 
there's  a  way ;  *  repeating  a  proverb  that  is  as  old  as 
the  hills." 

"  What  does  that  mean  .?  "  interrupted  James,  refer- 
ring to  the  proverb. 

**  It  means,  that  he  who  wills  to  do  anything  w/// 
do  it.  That  is,  the  boy  who  relies  upon  himself, 
and  determines  to  perform  a  task  in  spite  of  difficul- 
ties, will  accomplish  his  purpose.  You  can  do  that  ?  " 
And  his  mother  waited  for  a  reply. 

"  I  can,"  James  answered,  with  emphasis. 

"  Depend  upon  yourself.  Feel  that  you  are  equal 
to  the  work  in  hand,  and  it  will  be  easily  done. 
*  God  helps  those  who  help  themselves,'  it  is  said, 
and  I  believe  it.  He  has  helped  me  wonderfully 
since  your  father  died.  I  scarcely  knew  which  way 
to  turn,  when  he  died  ;  I  scarcely  saw  how  I  could 
live  here  in  the  woods ;  and  yet  I  could  find  no 
way  to  get  out  of  them  and  live.  But  just  as  soon 
as  I  fell  back  upon  God  and  myself,  I  took  up  the 
cross,  and  bore  it  easily.  We  have  fared  much  bet- 
ter than  I  expected  ;  and  it  is  because  I  was  made 
to  feel  that  'Where  there's  a  will,  there's  a  way.'  God 
will  bless  all  our  efforts  to  do  the  best  we  can." 

"  What'll  he  do,  when  we  don't  do  the  best  we 
can  }  "  inquired  James. 

"  He  will  withhold  his  blessing ;  and  that  is  the 
greatest  calamity  that  could  possibly  happen  to  us. 
We  can  do  nothing  well  without  his  blessing." 


BOY  FARMER.  J  J 


"  I  thought  God  only  helped  people  be  good,  " 
remarked  James,  who  was  beginning  to  inquire  within 
himself  whether  He  helped  farmers. 

*'  God  helps  folks  to  be  good  in  everything,  — 
good  boys,  good  men,  good  workers,  good  think- 
ers, good  farmers,  good  teachers,  good  everything. 
And  without  his  help  we  can  be  good  in  nothing." 

James  drank  in  every  word,  and  looked  very 
much  as  if  he  believed  that  he  and  God  could  run 
the  farm  successfully.     His  mother  continued  : 

**  If  you  do  one  thing  well  you  will  do  another  well, 
and  so  on  to  the  end.  You  will  soon  learn  that  your 
own  efforts  are  necessary  to  accomplish  anything,  and 
so  you  will  form  the  habit  of  depending  upon  your- 
self,—  the  only  way  to  make  the  most  of  yourself." 

Such  was  the  instruction  that  James  received  from 
the  wisest  of  mothers,  just  when  such  lessons  respect- 
ing self-reliance  would  do  him  the  most  good.  It  was 
on  this  line  that  he  was  started  off  in  his  boyhood,  and 
he  followed  that  line  thereafter.  He  had  no  one  to 
help  him  upward,  and  he  had  no  desire  to  have  any- 
body help  him.  Unlike  boys  who  depend  upon  some 
rich  father  or  uncle  to  give  them  ''  a  good  start,"  or 
upon  superior  advantages,  he  settled  down  upon  the 
stubborn  fact,  that  if  anything  was  ever  made  out  of 
him  he  must  do  it  himself.  Hard  work  was  before 
him,  and  hard  fare,  and  he  expected  nothing  less.  A 
statesman  who  rose  from  obscurity  to  eminence  once 
said,  "  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  my  attainments, 
it  must  be  conceded  that  I  made  as  much  out  of  the 
stuff  put  into  my  hands  as  was  possible."  That  the 
germ   of   such  an  impulse  must  have  taken  root  in 


yS  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

James'  heart  early,  is  quite  evident  from  some  remarks 
of  his  to  young  men  after  he  was  forty  years  old  : 

"  Occasion  cannot  make  spurs,  young  men.  If  you 
expect  to  wear  spurs,  you  must  win  them.  If  you 
wish  to  use  them,  you  must  buckle  them  to  your  own 
heels  before  you  go  into  the  fight.  Any  success  you 
may  achieve  is  not  worth  having  unless  you  fight  for 
it.  Whatever  you  win  in  life  you  must  conquer  by 
your  own  efforts,  and  then  it  is  yours,  —  a  part  of 
yourself.  .  .  .  Let  not  poverty  stand  as  an  obstacle 
in  your  way.  Poverty  is  uncomfortable,  as  I  can 
testify  ;  but  nine  times  out  of  ten  the  best  thing  that 
can  happen  to  a  young  man  is  to  be  tossed  overboard, 
and  compelled  to  sink  or  swim  for  himself.  In  all  my 
acquaintance  I  have  never  known  one  to  be  drowned 
who  was  worth  saving.  ...  To  a  young  man  who 
has  in  himself  the  magnificent  possibilities  of  life,  it  is 
not  fitting  that  he  should  be  permanently  commanded  ; 
he  should  be  a  commander.  You  must  not  continue 
to  be  employed ;  you  must  be  an  employe}'.  You  must 
be  promoted  from  the  ranks  to  a  command.  There  is 
something,  young  men,  that  you  can  command  ;  go 
and  find  it,  and  command  it.  You  can  at  least  com- 
mand a  horse  and  dray,  can  be  generalissimo  of  them, 
and  may  carve  out  a  fortune  with  them." 

Another  incident  of  James'  early  life  illustrates  the 
phase  of  his  character  in  question,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  shows  his  aptitude  in  unexpected  emergencies. 
He  was  eight  or  ten  years  of  age  when  it  occurred,  a 
pupil  in  school  with  his  cousin,  Henry  Boynton.  Sit- 
ting side  by  side,  one  day  they  became  more  roguish 
than  usual,  without  intending  to  violate  the  rules  of 


BOV  FARMER.  79 


school.  Sly  looks  and  an  occasional  laugh  satisfied 
the  teacher,  who  was  a  sharp  disciplinarian,  that 
something  unusual  was  going  on,  and  he  concluded 
that  the  wisest  treatment  would  be  to  stop  it  at  once. 
"James  and  Henry!"  he  called  out,  loudly,  'May 
aside  your  books  and  go  home,  both  of  you." 

A  clap  of  thunder  would  not  have  startled  them 
more.  They  looked  at  each  other  seriously,  as  if  the 
result  was  entirely  unexpected,  and  delayed  for  a 
moment. 

"Don't  dilly-dally,"  exclaimed  the  teacher;  "both 
of  you  go  home  immediately." 

"  I  will  go,"  answered  James.  Henry  said  nothing  ; 
and  both  passed  out.  James  made  an  express  of  his 
dexterous  legs,  shortening  the  distance  from  the 
school-house  to  home  to  about  three  or  four  minutes, 
and  an  equal  time  to  return.  Returning  to  school,  he 
entered  the  room,  puffing  like  an  engine,  and  resumed 
his  seat. 

"James!  did  I  not  tell  you  to  go  home.?"  shouted 
the  teacher,  never  dreaming  that  the  boy  had  had 
time  to  obey  the  mandate. 

"  I  have  been  home,"  answered  James,  not  in  the 
least  disconcerted.  He  had  obeyed  his  teacher 
promptly,  though  he  took  very  good  care  that  his 
mother  did  not  see  him  when  he  reached  the  cabin. 

"  Been  home  .?  "  responded  the  teacher,  inquiringly, 
surprised  that  the  boy  had  been  home  in  so  short  a 
time. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  have  been  home,"  replied  James  ;  "  you 
didn't  tell  me  to  stay'' 

"Well,    you   can   stay   here,    now,"    answered    the 


8o  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

teacher  with  a  smile,  thinking  that  was  the  best  way 
to  dispose  of  so  good  a  joke.  James  remained,  and 
was  very  careful  not  to  be  sent  home  again,  lest  the 
affair  might  not  terminate  so  pleasantly.  Henry 
sulked  about  the  school-house  for  a  while,  and  then 
went  home  and  stayed  the  remainder  of  the  day. 
That  was  the  difference  between  the  two  boys.  James 
saw  the  way  out  of  the  trouble  at  once,  through  the 
most  literal  obedience,  and,  believing  that  he  was 
equal  to  the  emergency,  he  started  promptly  to  ful- 
fil the  command.  He  was  neither  sulky  nor  rebellious, 
but  happy  as  a  lark,  lively  as  a  cricket,  and  smiling  as 
a  morning  in  May.  Such  a  little  episode  rather  tight- 
ened the  bond  existing  between  the  teacher  and  James. 
The  former  discovered  more  of  that  sharp  discrimina- 
tion and  practical  wit  in  the  affair,  for  which  he  had 
already  learned  that  James  was  distinguished. 

James  was  now  eleven  years  old,  and  Thomas  was 
twenty.  The  district  concluded  to  erect  a  frame 
school-house,  and  sold  the  old  one  to  Thomas  for  a 
trifle.  Thomas  and  James,  assisted  by  their  cojasins, 
the  Boynton  boys,  took  it  down,  and  put  it  up  again 
directly  in  the  rear  of  their  mother's  cabin,  thus  pro- 
viding her  with  an  additional  room,  which  was  a  great 
convenience.  Thomas  did  it  in  anticipation  of  leaving 
home  when  he  should  attain  his  majority. 


3  t 


CHAPTER    VI. 

SUNDAY  IN  THE    WOODS. 

lONEERS  need  a  Sabbath  full  as  much 
as  anybody  else,"  was  Mrs.  Garfield's  re- 
mark to  James,  and  her  other  children. 
*' '  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it 
holy,'  is  a  commandment  that  must  be  kept  in  the 
woods  as  faithfully  as  elsewhere.  In  large  towns  and 
cities  people  prepare  for  this  by  building  houses  of 
worship,  some  of  them  with  tall  and  handsome  spires, 
pointing  to  heaven,  with  bells  in  the  towers." 

"What  for  do  they  want  bells  .^"  inquired  James,  to 
whom  this  announcement  about  houses  of  worship  and 
bells  was  a  revelation.  Neither  James  nor  the  other 
children  had  seen  a  house  of  worship,  or  heard  a  Sab- 
bath bell,  and  their  mother  touched  upon  a  theme  as 
new  and  fascinating  as  a  novel  when  she  described 
Sabbath  scenes  in  large  towns, 

''The  bells  call  people  to  worship  promptly,  by 
ringing  at  the  time  of  meeting,"  Mrs.  Garfield  replied 
to  James'  question. 

"  Bells  would  not  be  of  much  use  to  pioneers,  who 
live  so  far  apart,  even  if  they  could  .afford  to  have 
them,"  she  continued. 

Si 


82  LOG-CAB IX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

**  Wouldn't  they  sound  splendid  in  the  forests  ? " 
exclaimed  James. 

"  Indeed  they  would,"  responded  his  mother  ;  "  and 
they  would  be  good  company,  too.  I  imagine  it  would 
not  be  so  lonesome  if  Sabbath  bells  echoed  through 
the  wilderness.  But  pioneers  ought  to  be  thankful 
that  they  can  ever  have  preaching,  under  any  circum- 
cumstances  whatever." 

"  I  should  like  to  live  in  a  big  town  where  they  have 
meeting-houses  with  tall  spires,"  added  James. 

"  Perhaps  you  will  some  day,"  suggested  his  mother. 
•*  None  of  us  will  live  to  see  them  in  this  town,  prob- 
ably." 

The  last  remark  was  rather  of  a  damper  upon 
James'  aspirations,  who  scarcely  expected,  then,  ever 
to  find  a  home  elsewhere.  The  foregoing  conversa- 
tion will  derive  significance  from  an  acquaintance  with 
the  religious  privileges  of  the  family. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking  there  was  no 
stated  preaching  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Garfield  estate. 
The  sect  called  Disciples  held  occasional  services  in 
school-houses  and  dwelling-houses.  These  occasional 
services  began  before  the  death  of  Mr.  Garfield.  As 
the  latter,  with  his  wife,  had  united  with  that  sect 
before  removing  into  the  township  of  Orange,  they 
were  especially  ready  to  welcome  the  itinerant  preacher 
to  their  log-cabin,  and  to  the  school-house.  Some- 
times the  meeting  was  at  a  cabin  or  school-house  five, 
six,  and  even  eight  miles  away.  It  was  not  unusual, 
in  James'  boyhood,  for  pioneers  to  travel  six  and  eight 
miles  to  a  religious  meeting,  on  Sunday.  They  went 
with  ox-teams  and  horse-teams,  single  and  double,  and 


SUNDA  Y  IN  THE    WOODS.  ^l 

some  men  and  boys  walked  the  whole  distance. 
Often,  in  some  sections,  the  father  would  ride  horse- 
back to  meeting,  with  his  wife  on  a  pillion  behind 
him,  carrying  her  youngest  child,  the  older  children 
following  on  foot.  The  meagre  religious  privileges 
were  highly  valued,  and  there  was  much  labor 
and  hardship  involved  in  availing  themselves  of 
them. 

The  preachers  of  that  day  were  illiterate  men,  — 
good,  but  uncultivated.  They  were  pioneer  preachers, 
just  as  the  settlers  were  pioneer  settlers.  They  were 
well  suited,  perhaps,  to  the  times  and  locality,  — 
rough,  sincere,  earnest  men,  who  found  real  satisfac- 
tion in  travelling  through  the  destitute  country, 
usually  on  horseback,  to  do  the  people  spiritual  good. 
Occasionally  there  was  a  remarkable  preacher  among 
them,  possessing  great  native  ability,  force  of  charac- 
ter, and  singular  magnetic  presence.  These  were 
especially  welcome,  although  any  one  of  the  number 
was  received  cordially.  In  their  travels  they  called  at 
all  cabins,  as  pastors  now  make  visits  from  house  to 
house,  their  visits  being  chiefly  of  a  religious  charac- 
ter. They  ate  and  lodged  in  cabins,  wherever  noon 
and  night  overtook  them.  The  best  fare  that  a  cabin 
had  was  cheerfully  set  before  them,  and  the  best  ad- 
vice and  sympathy  the  preacher  could  command  were 
freely  proffered.  It  is  not  possible  for  us,  at  this  day, 
to  say  how  great  was  the  influence  of  this  pastoral 
work.  Men  may  read  about  it,  and  laugh  over  it  now, 
but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  provided  a  much 
needed  and  indispensable  source  of  Christian  power, 
influence,  and  enjoyment.     It  contributed  largely  to 


\- 


84  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

make  pioneer  life  nobler,  and,  in  an  important  sense, 
educational. 

James  enjoyed  no  better  opportunities  of  religious 
worship  than  we  have  described,  before  he  was  ten 
years  of  age.  Occasional  worship  was  a  privilege 
that  he  highly  prized,  as  others  did.  He  did  not 
readily  let  slip  an  opportunity  to  attend  public  wor- 
ship. And  the  impressions  it  left  upon  his  heart 
were  gauged  by  his  deep  interest  in  such  occasions. 

Whether  there  was  any  meeting  or  not,  however, 
the  weekly  Sabbath  was  recognized  in  the  Garfield 
cabin.  No  labor  upon  that  day,  except  works  of 
necessity,  was  the  rule  carefully  observed.  The  Bible 
stood  in  the  place  of  preacher.  It  was  both  read  and 
studied.  Mrs.  Garfield's  rule  was  to  read  four  chap- 
ters daily  on  week  days,  and  more  on  the  Sabbath, 
when  she  formally  expounded  it  in  her  sensible  and 
thoughtful  manner.  The  children  asked  questions  as 
well  as  she.  James  was  especially  inquisitive  about 
the  Scriptures,  and,  after  he  learned  to  read,  he  read 
them  much,  both  on  the  Sabbath  and  week  days. 
Bible  stories  that  he  learned  from  his  mother's  lips, 
before  he  could  speak  plainly,  became  invested  with 
new  charms  when  he  could  read  them  at  his  leisure. 
He  became  so  familiar  with  many  narratives,  that  he 
knew  just  where  in  the  Bible  to  turn  to  them  ;  and  he 
had  a  multitude  of  questions  to  ask  about  "  God's 
book,"  as  his  mother  reverently  called  it. 

'•  How  do  you  know  that  it  is  *  God's  book,'  moth- 
er }  "  he  asked. 

"Because  it  is  not  like  any  book  that  man  ever 
wrote." 


SUNDA  Y  IN   THE   WOODS.  85 

"  You  said  once  that  Moses,  Isaiah,  David,  Mat- 
thew, Paul,  and  others  wrote  it,"  recalling  his  moth- 
er's explanation  of  different  books. 

''  Yes,  that  is  true,  they  did  write  it ;  but  they 
wrote  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  They 
could  not  have  written  it  without  God's  help.  They 
wrote  just  what  God  told  them,  by  his  Spirit,  to  write." 

"And  that  is  why  you  call  it  God's  book  .'' "  James 
inquired. 

*'  Yes ;  he  is  the  author  of  it,  although  he  di- 
rected men  to  wTite  it,  and  guided  them,  also,  in 
doing  it." 

"Are  all  the  stories  in  it  true  stories.-*" 

"  Yes  ;  every  one  of  them." 

"  Is  it  true  that  Joseph  had  a  coat  of  many  different 
colors  '^.  " 

"  I  expect  it  is." 

"  Why  didn't  he  have  a  coat  of  one  color }  Would 
it  not  be  easier  to  make  such  a  one } " 

"  His  father  loved  him  more  than  he  did  his  other 
children,  and  he  made  such  a  coat  for  him  out  of  his 
partiality." 

"  Did  he  do  right  to  love  one  of  his  children  more 
than  he  did  others  1 " 

"No  ;  he  did  not." 

"  Was  his  father  a  good  man  }  " 

"  Yes.     Some  good  men  do  wrong." 

"  If  good  men  do  wrong,  how  do  you  know  them 
from  bad  men  }  " 

"  They  don't  do  so  many  wicked  things,  nor  so  bad 
thino;s,  as  bad  men  do." 

"  Can't  good  men  stop  doing  bad  things  1 " 


86  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

*' Yes  ;  with  God's  help." 

"  Don't  God  always  help  them  ? " 

"No." 

"  Why  don't  he  }  " 

**  Perhaps  they  don't  deserve  it." 

"  Can't  men  be  good  without  his  help  } " 

*'No  ;  and  what  is  worse,  they  won't  be." 

"  Why  won't  they  t  " 

''Because  they  are  so  wicked." 

"  How  can  they  be  good,  then } "  meaning  that  he 
could  not  see  how  a  good  man  could  be  a  wicked  man 
at  the  same  time. 

In  this  dialogue  appears  the  inquisitiveriess  of 
James,  as  well  as  his  discrimination  and  thoughtful- 
ness.  Often  his  mother  was  unable  to  answer  his 
boyish  questions  about  the  Bible.  Their  depth  and 
point  confounded  her.  It  was  here,  especially,  that 
she  had  unmistakable  proof  of  his  remarkable  talents. 
It  was  around  the  old  family  Bible  that  the  chief 
interest  of  the  Sabbath  clustered  in  her  rude  home. 
It  was  to  her  family  what  a  Constitution  is  to  the 
State,  and  what  character  is  to  the  individual. 
Largely  it  made  up  for  the  absence  of  books,  teach- 
ers, money,  and  conveniences.  It  would  be  quite 
impossible  to  say  how  much  unalloyed  happiness  it 
contributed  to  the  family.  Certainly,  its  wise  teach- 
ings were  so  indelibly  impressed  upon  James'  heart 
that  its  contents  were  more  familiar  to  him  at  forty 
years  of  age  than  they  are  to  most  Christian  men, 
so  that  its  figures,  symbols,  and  laconic  sentences 
adorned  his  public  addresses,  to  the  admiration  of 
listeners. 


^ 


Mother  of  James  A.  Garfield. 


V 


SUNDA  V  IN  THE    WOODS.  8/ 

It  is  probable  that  James  and  his  brother  and  sisters 
received  more  real  valuable  lessons,  to  assist  in  the 
formation  of  good  habits,  and  to  establish  noble  pur- 
poses, in  their  western  cabin,  than  the  children  of 
many  Christian  families  do  from  the  constant  ministra- 
tions of  pubhc  worship.  The  absence  of  religious 
advantages  was  a  good  reason  for  the  best  improve- 
ment of  the  few  enjoyed.  The  mother,  too,  felt 
additional  obligations  to  guide,  instruct,  and  mould 
the  hearts  of  her  offspring,  because  there  was  so  little 
outside  of  her  cabin  to  aid  her.  For  these  reasons, 
perhaps  James  enjoyed  better  advantages  to  become 
distinguished  than  he  would  have  had  in  the  more 
populous  and  wealthy  parts  of  the  country. 

When  James  was  eight  years  old  the  Temperance 
Reformation  was  moving  on  with  power.  The  New 
England  States  presented  a  scene  of  enthusiasm  with- 
out precedent,  and  the  interest  spread  into  north- 
eastern Ohio.  Even  the  cabins  of  pioneers  were 
reached  by  the  wave  of  influence  for  temperance. 
Mrs.  Garfield  was  just  the  woman  to  welcome  such  a 
reform,  and  to  appreciate  its  true  value.  The  subject 
was  a  fitting  one  for  the  Sabbath,  although  it  was 
not  neglected  on  other  days.  As  the  handmaid  of 
religion,  it  challenged  her  best  thoughts  and  efforts. 

"Drunkenness  is  a  terrible  sin,"  she  said,  "and  I 
was  always  glad  that  your  father  had  the  same  view 
of  it  that  I  have." 

"  Didn't  he  drink  rum  or  whiskey  }  "  asked  James. 

"  Seldom  ;  and  he  got  out  of  patience  with  men 
intoxicated.  He  thought  they  were  very  weak  men 
by  nature." 


88  LOG -C A  BIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

''  Why  don't  men  stop  drinking  it  when  it  is  hurting 
them  ?  "  James  inquired, 

"  It  is  difficult  to  say  why  they  don't.  Some  think 
they  can't  do  it." 

"  Can't  stop  !  "  James  exclaimed,  with  surprise. 

"  It  is  said  that  they  can't  stop,  —  that  they 
form  such  a  terrible  appetite  that  they  can't  con- 
trol it." 

"  I  would,"  responded  James,  with  characteristic 
firmness. 

**  Better  never  begin  to  use  intoxicating  liquors ; 
that  is  the  only  safe  course.  It  is  easier  not  to  begin 
to  go  wrong,  than  it  is  to  turn  back  and  do  better, 
after  beginning." 

*'  What  do  men  drink  liquor  for  }  " 

*'  It  would  be  difficult  to  tell  what  some  of  them 
drink  it  for,  I  think.  Most  men  drink  it  because  they 
like  it,  I  suppose." 

"  Does  it  taste  good  }  " 

"  I  suppose  it  does  to  those  who  like  it." 

"  I  should  like  to  taste  of  some,  just  to  see  what  it 
tastes  like,"  added  James. 

"  I  rather  you  would  never  know  how  it  tastes,  my 
son.  If  you  never  taste  it,  you  can  never  become  a 
drunkard,  that  is  certain.  *  Look  not  thou  upon  the 
wine  when  it  is  red,  when  it  giveth  his  color  in  the 
cup,  when  it  moveth  itself  aright.  At  the  last  it 
biteth  like  a  serpent,  and  stingeth  like  an  adder.' 
Nothing  could  be  truer  than  that." 

"  What  is  there  in  rum  that  makes  it  hurt  people 
so  .'*  "  continued  James. 

*'  There  is  alcohol  in  it,  and  it  is  that  which  makes 


SUNDA  Y  IN  THE    WOODS.  89 

drunkards.  It  don't  hurt  any  one  to  drink  milk  or 
water,  does  it  ?  " 

**  Of  course  it  don't." 

*'  Well,  there's  the  difference  between  these  whole- 
some drinks  and  intoxicating  liquors ;  there  is  no 
alcohol  in  the  milk  and  water." 

"  What  for  do  they  put  alcohol  into  them,  if  it  hurts 
people } " 

Mrs.  Garfield  explained  the  last  question  as  best 
she  could,  assuring  him  that  the  alcohol  was  not  put 
in,  but  was  developed  in  the  drink  by  an  artificial 
process,  and  that  men  wanted  to  produce  the  alcohol 
in  order  to  make  money. 

In  this  way  the  great  reformatory  idea  of  that  day 
found  a  lodgment  in  the  Garfield  cabin.  James  did 
not  obtain  a  very  definite  idea  of  the  enormous  evil  of 
intemperance,  living  where  he  had  no  opportunity  to 
observe  it ;  but  his  idea  was  distinct  enough  to  cause 
him  to  abhor  the  cause  of  the  woe.  His  mother  gave 
him  facts  enough  respecting  the  curse  of  intemper- 
ance, that  had  come  under  her  own  observation,  to 
show  him  that  intemperance  was  a  terrible  evil,  and  his 
young  heart  was  fully  resolved  to  avoid  the  way  to  it. 

Another  lesson  that  made  Sunday  in  the  woods  a 
memorable  day  to  James,  although  it  was  prominent 
on  other  'days  also,  was  loyalty  to  the  country.  Mrs. 
Garfield's  memory  was  full  of  facts  respecting  the 
sacrifices  and  sufferings  of  her  ancestors  to  defend 
and  preserve  American  Independence ;  and  many  an 
hour,  as  we  have  already  intimated,  was  whiled  away 
in  recitals  of  their  heroic  deeds. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  James   formed   an   exalted 


go  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

idea  of  what  we  call  Loyalty  from  these  stories  that 
were  so  inspiring  and  marvellous  to  the  young.  It  is 
often  the  case  that  indirect  methods  fasten  upon  the 
young  mind  so  tenaciously  that  they  outlast  many 
lessons  that  have  been  imparted  with  the  utmost  care 
and  hopefulness.  It  is  certain  that  James  derived  an 
impulse  from  some  source,  in  regard  to  loyalty,  that 
contributed  to  make  this  virtue  one  of  the  most 
prominent  elements  of  his  character  in  manhood. 
Although  his  mother  did  not  formally  imitate  the 
example  of  the  father  of  Hannibal,  who  led  his  son 
to  the  altar  of  his  divinity  at  eight  years  of  age,  and 
made  him  swear  eternal  hate  to  the  enemies  of  Rome, 
yet  she  did  what  was  tantamount  to  that,  and  what 
secured  as  effectually  the  devotion  of  her  son  to  the 
defence  of  his  country. 

"  Never  be  afraid  to  do  what  is  right,"  Mrs.  Garfield 
remarked.  ''  The  biggest  coward  in  the  world  is  the 
man  who  is  afraid  to  do  right." 

"  I  shouldn't  think  men  would  be  afraid  to  do 
right,"  remarked  James. 

"  I  shouldn't  think  boys  would  be  afraid  to  do 
right,"  responded  his  mother,  perceiving  that  James 
scarcely  thought  there  was  an  opportunity  for  this  sort 
of  bravery  in  boyhood.  "  Boys  don't  dare  to  do  right, 
sometimes." 

"  When  } "  inquired  James,  as  if  he  questioned  the 
truth  of  the  latter  statement. 

"  When  they  don't  dare  to  obey  their  mothers  or 
teachers  because  their  companions  don't  want  they 
should,"  answered  his  mother,  intending  to  remind 
him  of  certain  facts  in  his  own  boyish  life. 


SUNDAY  IN  THE    WOODS.  9 1 

"  I  thought  you  meant  when  I  got  to  be  a  man," 
said  James,  with  a  look  denoting  that  he  was  Jiit. 

"  I  meant  when  a  boy,  as  well.  If  you  don't  begin 
to  stand  up  for  the  right  when  you  are  young,  you 
never  will  when  you  are  old.  *  The  boy  is  father  of 
the  man,'  is  a  proverb  as  true  as  it  is  old.  Then  a 
cowardly  boy  is  as  contemptible  as  a  cowardly  man. 
Obey  your  mother  and  teacher,  though  all  your  com- 
panions laugh  at  you." 

"I  do,"  answered  James. 

"  Yes,  I  think  you  do,  generally  ;  and  I  speak  of  it 
now,  that  you  may  give  even  more  attention  to  it  in 
the  future  than  in  the  past,  and  grow  more  and  more 
fearless  to  oppose  wrong  as  you  grow  older.  When 
you  become  a  man  you  will  meet  with  many  more, 
and  greater  temptations,  than  you  have  now,  and 
unless  you  have  more  decision  and  courage  you  will 
not  be  equal  to  the  circumstances." 

''Daniel's  bravery  got  him  into  the  den  of  lions," 
suggested  James. 

"  Very  true ;  and  it  was  better  for  him  to  be  in  a 
den  of  lions,  with  God  on  his  side,  than  a  friend  of  the 
king,  with  God  against  him.  If  you  are  like  Daniel 
in  moral  courage,  I  shall  be  satisfied.  The  lions  could 
not  devour  him  so  long  as  God  was  his  friend  ;  and 
God  is  always  the  friend  of  those  who  stand  by  the 
right." 

James  never  had  other  than  royal  lessons  upon 
moral  courage  and  kindred  qualities.  These  things, 
which  lie  at  the  very  foundation  of  stability  of  char- 
acter and  personal  excellence,  were  ingrained  into  his 
early  life.     The  Sabbath  furnished  a  favorable  oppor- 


92  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

tunity  for  special  efforts  in  this  direction,  though  every 
day  in  the  week  bore  witness  in  the  same  line. 

We  must  not  close  this  chapter  without  reference 
to  one  fact  connected  with  the  Garfield  family  that  is 
worthy  of  particular  attention.  It  was  their  "  coat- 
of-arms."  A  coat-of-arms  formerly  was  a  "habit  worn 
by  knights  over  their  armor.  It  was  a  short-sleeved 
coat  or  tunic,  reaching  to  the  waist,  and  embroidered 
with  their  armorial  ensigns  and  various  devices." 
The  Garfield  coat-of-arms  consisted  of  a  shield,  with 
a  gold  ground,  three  horizontal  crimson  bars  crossing 
it  in  one  corner,  over  it  a  helmet  with  raised  visor, 
together  with  a  heart,  and  above  the  whole  an  arm 
wielding  a  sword,  on  which  was  inscribed  the  motto, 
In  o'uce  viiico  —  "In  the  Cross  I  Conquer." 

What  we  wish  to  say  about  this  coat-of-arms  relates 
to  the  motto.  It  tells  of  a  courage  that  was  born 
of  faith  in  God,  such  as  was  found  in  the  Ohio  cabin, 
and  without  which  the  sorrows  and  hardships  that 
invested  its  early  history  would  have  proved  too 
much  for  flesh  and  blood.  It  is  a  grand  spirit  to 
brood  over  a  human  habitation,  beneath  whose  roof 
childhood  buds  and  blossoms  into  true  life.  It 
appropriates  the  Sabbath,  Bible,  and  every  other  hal- 
lowed power  that  is  accessible,  to  the  '*  life  that  now 
is,"  because  of  another  ''life  that  is  to  come.'  It  was 
this  spirit  that  James  nursed  from  his  mother's  breast, 
and  inhaled  from  the  domestic  atmosphere  that 
wrapped  his  boyhood,  to  arouse  heroic  qualities, 
and  bend  them  to  victorious  work. 

When  James  was  about  ten  years  old,  his  uncle, 
Amos    Boynton,    organized    a    congregation    in    the 


SUNDA  V  IN  THE    WOODS.  93 

school-house,  and  took  charge  of  it  himself,  when 
no  minister  was  on  the  ground.  Mr.  Boynton  was 
a  man  of  excellent  abilities,  and  a  very  devoted 
Christian  man.  He  was  more  familiar  with  the 
Bible  than  any  man  in  the  township,  and  could 
repeat  large  portions  of  it.  A  copy  of  the  Scriptures 
was  his  constant  companion.  He  carried  it  with 
him  into  the  field.  If  he  stopped  to  rest  himself,  or 
his  cattle,  the  brief  time  was  spent  in  reading  the 
Book  of  books.  His  familiarity  with  the  Bible  quali- 
fied him  to  conduct  Sabbath  services  in  the  log 
school-house ;  and  they  were  of  great  moral  and 
spiritual  advantage  to  the  people.  To  James  they 
were  of  as  much  real  value  as  to  any  one. 

At  that  time  religious  controversy  ran  high  in 
northern  Ohio.  The  Disciples  were  a  new  sect, 
and  all  other  sects  denounced  them  ;  while  they,  in 
turn,  expressed  themselves  freely  concerning  the 
errors  and  follies  of  their  opponents.  James  often 
heard  discussions  at  home  upon  these  controverted 
religious  questions,  in  which  his  mother  engaged 
with  others.  It  was  not  unusual  for  preachers  to 
refer  to  them  in  their  sermons ;  and  always,  when 
preachers  stayed  at  his  mother's  house,  as  they  often 
did,  these  questions  were  discussed,  and  they  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  the  active  mind  of  James.  So 
bright  a  boy  as  he  could  scarcely  fail  to  see  that  vast 
importance  attached  to  subjects  in  which  the  minis- 
ters and  his  mother  were  so  much  interested.  These 
controversies  lent  more  or  less  importance  to  Sunday 
in  the  woods. 

Among    the    topics    discussed    was    Baptism,    the 


94  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Disciples  being  immersionists.  The  extent  to  which 
James'  mind  was  impressed  by  these  discussions  is 
learned  from  the  following  fact.  Considerable  politi- 
cal excitement  prevailed  in  that  part  of  Ohio  in  the 
"Harrison  Campaign."  The  neighbors  were  all 
for  Harrison,  —  Whigs, — and  James  had  heard  his 
mother  say  that  his  father  was  a  Whig,  and  a  great 
admirer  of  Henry  Clay,  and  voted  for  him  when  he 
was  a  candidate  for  President.  One  day  some 
neighbors  were  discussing  politics  in  James'  pres- 
ence, when  one  of  them  asked  him,  in  a  sportive 
way,  "Jimmy,  what  are  you.  Democrat  or  Whig.^" 

"  I'm  Whig ;  but  I'm  not  baptized^'  answered 
James. 

The  subject  of  Baptism  was  so  thoroughly  im- 
pressed upon  his  mind,  and  the  subject  of  Whigism, 
also,  that  the  little  fellow  supposed  he  could  not 
be  a  properly  constructed  Whig  until  he  was  bap- 
tized. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

HIGHER  UP. 

ALLOO,  Jim,  now  you  will  have  to  be  a 
farmer  in  earnest !  for  I  am  going  to  Mich- 
igan," said  Thomas,  when  he  returned  from 
Cleveland.     *'  Got  a  place  out  there." 

"Where.?"  inquired  James,  not  understanding 
where  it  was  that  his  brother  was  going. 

*'To  Michigan,"  repeated  Thomas.  *' It  is  more 
of  a  wilderness  than  Orange  is." 

**  I  know  that,"  answered  James.  "  What  are  you 
going  to  do  out  there  ? " 

"Clearing,"  replied  Thomas;  "twelve  dollars  a 
month." 

"You  don't  get  so  much  as  that,  do  you.?"  said 
James,  to  whom  that  amount  of  monthly  wages 
seemed  enormous. 

"  Yes,  twelve  dollars  a  month.  It's  hard  work, 
early  and  late.  Mother  shall  have  a  frame-house, 
now." 

"Good!"  was  James'  answer,  given  with  evident 
satisfaction. 

At  this  time  James  was  twelve  years  old,  and 
Thomas   was   twenty-one;    a   period   that   had    been 

95 


96  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

much  discussed  in  the  family,  in  anticipation  of  its 
arrival.  There  was  a  definite  understanding,  between 
Thomas  and  his  mother,  that  the  former  should  leave 
home  at  twenty-one,  and  James  should  run  the  farm. 
It  was  important  that  Thomas  should  be  earning  some- 
thing abroad  now  that  he  had  attained  to  his  majority, 
and  James  was  old  enough  to  attend  to  affairs  at 
home.  Thomas  went  to  Cleveland  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  work,  without  any  definite  idea  of  what  that 
work  would  be.  Emigration  to  Michigan  was  increas- 
ing, and  there  was  considerable  excitement  over  the 
resources  of  that  State,  so  that  labor  was  in  consider- 
able demand  for  that  section.  The  first  opportunity 
that  opened  to  Thomas  he  accepted  without  hesita- 
tion, and  it  was,  as  already  announced,  clearing  land 
for  a  farmer  in  Michigan,  at  twelve  dollars  a  month. 

Thomas  passed  into  the  house  with  James  to  make 
known  the  result  of  his  errand  to  Cleveland. 

"  I  hope  it  will  prove  all  for  the  best,"  remarked 
Mrs.  Garfield,  after  hearing  the  report.  "  It's  farther 
away  than  I  expected." 

**  Yes,  it  is  some  distance  ;  but  that  is  of  little  con- 
sequence, after  all.     It  is  good' pay." 

"How  far  is  it.?"  asked  James,  who  was  intensely 
interested  in  the  change. 

"  I  don't  know  exactly,"  answered  his  mother  :  "  it's 
farther  than  I  wish  it  was." 

"  Will  you  live  in  a  log-house,  Tom  } "  James  con- 
tinued. 

"  Yes ;  a  cabin  not  half  so  large  and  good  as  this." 

**  How  long  shall  you  be  gone  }  " 

*'  Six  months  certain  ;  perhaps  longer.** 


HIGHER   UP.  97 


*'And  you  will  have  to  take  Tom's  place  on  the 
farm,"  said  Mrs.  Garfield,  addressing  James.  "  That 
will  be  taking  a  step  higher." 

.  "I   can  do   it,"  responded   James,   "though   I    am 
sorry  Tom  is  going." 

''  We  shall  miss  him  sadly,"  remarked  Mrs.  Garfield. 
''  It  will  be  more  lonesome  than  ever  when  he  is  gone ; 
but  we  must  make  the  best  of  it." 

"It  will  be  best  all  round,  I  am  thinking,"  said 
Thomas,  "  if  it  is  the  way  for  you  to  have  a  frame- 
house,  mother.     I  mean  that  shall  come  about." 

"  That  will  be  nice,  won't  it,  mother  t  "  exclaimed 
James,  who  was  thoroughly  prepared  to  appreciate  a 
real  house,  after  twelve  years'  occupancy  of  a  cabin. 

"  Yes,  it  will  be  nice  indeed,  almost  too  nice  to 
prove  a  reality,"  replied  his  mother. 

"It  will  prove  a  reality,"  remarked  Thomas  with 
decision. 

Thomas  had  spent  much  time,  during  the  last  five 
years,  in  cutting  and  preparing  lumber  for  a  new 
house,  hoping  the  time  would  come  when  his  mother 
could  command  money  enough  to  employ  a  carpenter 
to  erect  it.  He  had  prepared  sufficient  lumber  for  the 
house  when  he  became  twenty-one  years  of  age  ;  but 
there  was  no  money  to  pay  a  carpenter  to  put  it  up. 
Now  Thomas  saw  the  way  clear  for  erecting  the  house 
after  a  while,  and  the  prospect  fired  his  ambition.  He 
was  willing  to  go  to  Michigan  for  that  object  alone  ; 
indeed,  he  rejoiced  to  go,  if  by  so  doing  a  frame-house 
could  be  secured. 

Thomas  was  busy  preparing  to  leave,  and  James 
was  equally  busy  in  attending  to  lessons  that  Thomas 


98  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

gave  him  about  the  work  to  be  done  on  the  farm. 
The  ground  was  to  be  ploughed,  the  wheat  sowed,  the 
corn  and  potatoes  planted,  with  all  the  etceteras  usu- 
ally belonging  to  the  season's  labor.  Thomas  had  his 
directions  to  give  concerning  all  these  things,  that  his 
little  brother  might  the  more  successfully  perform 
farm-work.  However,  his  time  at  home  was  lim- 
ited, as  his  engagement  required  him  to  be  in  Michi- 
gan at  an  early  date  ;  and  soon  he  was  gone. 

It  was  almost  like  making  another  grave  in  the 
corner  of  the  wheat-field  to  part  with  Thomas.  He 
had  been  the  main  stay  of  the  family  since  the  death 
of  his  father,  and  his  mother  had  leaned  upon  him  as 
mothers  will  upon  a  noble  son  ;  and  now  to  miss  his 
face  and  voice,  and  miss  his  counsels  and  labors, 
created  a  void  in  the  home  circle  that  brought  tears  to 
the  eyes  of  all.  It  was  a  trying  hour  for  James,  to 
whom  Thomas  was  both  brotherly  and  fatherly.  The 
most  tender  and  loving  confidence  existed  between  the 
two.  Thomas  was  proud  of  his  gifted  little  brother, 
and  James  had  perfect  confidence  in  his  efficient  big 
brother.  It  was  not  strange,  therefore,  that  James 
felt  the  absence  of  Thomas  deeply,  and  deplored  the 
necessity  that  compelled  him  to  leave  home.  Never- 
theless, he  went  to  work  upon  the  farm  with  a  will. 
He  knew  how  to  labor,  because  he  had  labored  much 
with  Thomas  for  four  years,  and  was  often  called  the 
"boy-farmer;"  but  now  he  was  a  farmer  in  a  more 
important  sense,  and  must  rely  upon  his  own  judg- 
ment, plans,  and  efficiency  to  a  great  extent.  He  was 
much  hi^^hcr  up  than  before  in  the  matter  of  care  and 
responsibility. 


HIGHER    UP.  99 


Here,  as  well  as  anywhere,  we  may  describe  the 
scenery  about  the  Garfield  estate,  for  that  may  have 
had  an  important  influence  upon  the  life  and  character 
of  James.  He  was  the  sort  of  boy  who  delights  in 
beauty  and  grandeur,  to  whom  a  river,  mountain,  or 
wild  forest  was  more  attractive  than  they  often  are  to 
older  heads.  A  person  reared  in  the  locality  describes 
the  scenery  as  follows  :  — 

'*  Orange  township  is  situated  in  the  south-eastern 
portion  of  Cuyahoga  County,  fifteen  miles  from  Cleve- 
land. It  is  now,  and  always  has  been,  strictly  a 
farming  town.     There  is  no  village  within  its  limits. 

*'  Its  surface  is  irregular  and  hilly,  presenting  some 
of  the  finest  rural  scenery  to  be  found  in  this  part  of 
Ohio.  On  the  north-east  flows  the  Chagrin  River, 
from  which  the  land  gradually  rises  towards  the  south- 
west for  a  distance  of  three  miles.  Looking  east  from 
this  range  of  hills  a  grand  view  is  obtained.  The 
valley  of  the  Chagrin,  with  its  simple  beauty,  and  the 
country  for  twenty  miles  beyond,  are  distinctly  visible. 
All  combine  to  form  a  picture  that  is  strong,  charm- 
ing, and  impressive.  It  was  to  a  spot  south  of  this 
chain  of  hills  that  the  parents  of  General  Garfield 
came  in  1830." 

We  should  have  said  that  at  this  time,  the  '*  West- 
ern land  speculation  "  was  running  high.  People  grew 
wild  over  the  prospect  of  coining  money  out  of  the 
wild  lands  of  Ohio,  Michigan,  Indiana,  and  Illinois. 
Men  at  the  East  bought  thousands  of  acres  of  land  in 
the  West,  that  they  never  saw,  and  did  not  positively 
know  that  such  land  existed.  Hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  people  sold  houses  and  lands  in  New  England 


lOO  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

and  in  the  Middle  States,  and  removed  thither,  to 
make  their  fortunes.  Perhaps  Thomas  cherished  a 
secret  hope  that  somehow  he  should  become  a  rich 
man  in  the  woods  of  Michigan.  It  is  certain  that  the 
opportunity  to  labor  in  that  State  came  to  him  through 
the  '*  Western  land  mania."  We  will  leave  him  there, 
felling  trees  and  clearing  land  for  the  Michigan  farmer, 
while  we  look  after  James  at  home. 

''Well,  your  farmer  boy  is  making  things  lively," 
remarked  a  neighbor,  who  called  upon  Mrs.  Garfield. 
"  He's  as  handy  as  any  of  us  with  his  tools." 

"And  works  as  hard,  I  guess,"  responded  Mrs. 
Garfield. 

''That  is  so  ;  all  of  us  work  hard  enough,"  rejoined 
the  neighbor. 

"  Pioneer  life  is  beset  with  hardships,"  continued 
Mrs.  Garfield ;  "  though  its  poverty  is  not  so  hard  to 
be  borne  as  poverty  in  a  large  town  or  city." 

*'  Do  you  really  think  so  }  " 

"Certainly  I  do." 

"What  makes  you  think  so  } " 

"  Why,  don't  you  see  that  there  are  no  rich  around 
us  to  be  compared  with  t  We  are  not  continually 
being  reminded  of  our  extreme  poverty  by  the  presence 
of  those  who  can  have  all  that  money  can  buy." 

"  You  think  there  is  some  satisfaction  in  all  being 
poor  together.''"  interrupted  the  neighbor,  jocosely. 

"  Yes  ;  that  is  about  it.  '  Misery  loves  company,' 
and  I  suppose  that  is  true  of  poverty." 

"Well,  we  are  all  poor  enough,  if  that  is  all,"  con- 
tinued the  neighbor;  "and  on  your  theory  we  ought 
to  be  tolerably  happy." 


HIGHER   UP.  lOI 


**  We  are,  I  think,  as  happy  as  the  human  race 
averages,  and  perhaps  a  little  more  than  that.  God 
averages  human  experience  well,  after  all  our  fault- 
finding." 

"  There  must  be  some  satisfaction  in  thinking  so ; 
but  I  can't  exactly  accept  that  view.  Pioneers  have 
more  than  their  full  share  of  hardships  and  trials,  in 
my  opinion,"  replied  the  neighbor,  just  as  James  came 
in  from  the  corn-field.  Turning  to  him,  by  way  of 
cordial  salutation,  he  added, 

"  What  do  you  think  about  it,  James  } " 

"  Think  about  what  t  " 

"  Whether  pioneers  have  more  hardships  than  other 
people } " 

"■  I  don't  know  much  about  it,"  answered  James. 
"  If  I  knew  what  hardships  other  people  have  I  could 
tell  something  about  it ;  but  I  don't." 

James  never  spoke  a  truer  word.  He  was  born  and 
reared  in  the  forest.  He  had  never  seen  even  a  vil- 
lage, much  less  a  large  town  or  city.  He  had  seen 
but  one  or  two  frame-houses  at  that  time  ;  and  these 
had  just  been  erected  in  the  vicinity.  How  could  he 
understand  that  others  enjoyed  more  than  he  did  .^ 
He  was  a  happy  boy.  He  had  his  home,  though  it  was 
a  cabin.  He  had  his  mother,  and  brother,  and  sisters, 
and  they  were  just  as  dear  to  him  as  home  and  brothers 
and  sisters  are  to  those  who  dwell  in  palaces.  Per- 
haps they  were  more  so :  we  incline  to  the  belief  that 
they  were.  He  had  a  mother ;  and  if  any  mother  was 
ever  worth  more  to  a  child  than  his  was  he  did  not 
know  it,  nor  could  he  be  made  to  believe  any  such 
thing.     So   he   was   a   contented   boy.      What   other 


I02  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

people,  more  highly  blest,  called  hardships,  he  accepted 
as  a  matter  of  course.  He  scarcely  knew  that  it  was 
not  as  good  as  others  enjoyed.  Why  should  he  not  be 
a  rollicking,  wide-awake,  happy  boy  .-^  Hard  work  chal- 
lensred  his  best  endeavors  now  that  his  brother  was 
gone  ;  but  hard  work  is  not  necessarily  a  hardship. 
Some  rich  men  work  more  hours  in  a  day  to  keep 
their  money,  than  the  poor  man  does  to  keep  soul  and 
body  together.  And  often  it  is  more  annoying  la- 
bor, straining  the  nerves,  banishing  sleep,  fretting 
the  disposition,  and  keeping  up  a  continual  fever  of 
anxiety. 

James  did  not  call  hard  work  hardship  ;  he  never 
thought  of  such  a  thing.  He  was  never  happier  than 
he  was  during  that  season  of  severe  toil  after  his 
brother  left  home.  He  had  greater  responsibility,  but 
responsibility  is  not  hardship.  He  felt  more  manly 
and  competent  ;  and  he  was  both,  now  that  the  care  of 
the  farm  and  his  mother  rested  on  his  shoulders.  A 
close  observer  could  see  the  honest  pride  of  a  noble 
heart  cropping  out  through  his  manly  bearing.  Call 
it  hardship  to  run  the  farm  !  He  never  dreamed  of  it ; 
it  was  his  delight.  The  language  of  singing  expressed 
his  daily  experience  far  better  than  complainings. 
Under  his  homely  jacket  nestled  a  spirit  that  had  not 
learned  discontent.  No  !  Neighbor  Mapes  put  his 
question  to  the  wrong  party,  when  he  said, — 
"  What  do  you  think  about  it,  James  } " 
James  was  not  the  passenger  to  awake.  Break  the 
slumbers  of  somebody  who  is  happy  only  when  he  is 
asleep.  James  was  happiest  when  he  was  awake,  as 
mortals  everywhere  should   be.     And   he  never  was 


HIGHER    UP.  103 


more  wide  awake  than  he  was  on  the  farm  during  that 
season  of  excessive  labor. 

"  Going  to  exchange  work  with  Mr.  Lamper,"  said 
James  one  day  to  his  mother. 

"  How  so  t  "  inquired  his  mother. 

"  He  wants  an  extra  hand  once  in  a  while,  and  so  do 
I ;  and  then  I  want  his  oxen  sometimes." 

*'  You  have  seen  him  }  " 

*' Yes  ;  and  have  made  the  bargain," 

"A  good  arrangement,  I  guess,"  added  his  mother. 
"  Then,  his  head  is  older  than  yours,  and  he  can  show 
you  some  things  about  farming  that  you  don't  know." 

"  And  '  Two  heads  are  better  than  one,  if  one  is  a 
sheep's  head,'  I  have  heard  you  say  a  good  many 
times,"  added  James,  in  his  lively  way. 

"  If  they  are  pioneer  heads,  it  is  so,"  rejoined  his 
another,  whose  opinion  of  pioneer  life  was  more  favor- 
able than  that  of  neighbor  Mapes.  **  Pioneer  life 
requires  all  the  wisdom  that  can  be  got  together  to 
make  life  in  the  woods  successful." 

This  reference  to  **  life  in  the  woods  "  was  partly 
in  a  vein  of  pleasantry ;  for  now  the  designation  was 
scarcely  appropriate.  Nearly  fourteen  years  had 
elapsed  since  Mrs.  Garfield  moved  into  that  township, 
and  great  changes  had  been  wrought  in  that  time. 
Many  settlers  had  moved  into  the  township,  and  the 
unbroken  forests  had  yielded  to  the  pioneer's  axe,  and 
well-conducted  farms  dotted  the  landscape.  Neigh- 
bors were  near  and  many  now,  as  compared  with  the 
distance  and  number  of  them  ten  years  before.  The 
pioneer  stage  had  really  passed,  and  it  was  not  "life 
in  the  woods  "  that  James  was  living.     There  was  a 


I04  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

saw^mill  and  an  ashery  in  the  vicinity  ;  also  a  carpen- 
ter was  added  to  the  population  of  the  town.  All 
this  brought  a  change  that  James,  young  as  he  was, 
could' but  notice. 

The  plan  of  exchanging  work  was  one  that  James 
originated,  and  it  proved  of  great  value  to  him  during 
the  season.  It  lightened  his  labor  when  "  Two  heads 
were  better  than  one,"  and  gave  him  the  use  of  the 
oxen  when  no  other  aid  could  be  half  so  valuable. 
Then  Mr.  Lamper  was  glad  to  exchange  labor  with  a 
boy  who  was  equal  to  a  man  in  his  efficiency.  James 
could  turn  his  hand  to  any  sort  of  work  upon  the 
farm,  and  had  physical  strength  to  endure  almost  any 
strain.  His  honest  pride  of  character  assisted  him, 
too,  more  than  ever  in  his  work,  as  any  sharp  observer 
could  see. 

We  cannot  dwell  upon  the  labors  of  that  eventful 
season,  except  to  add,  that  the  farm  did  for  James 
what  a  teacher  did  for  some  other  boys.  The  cele- 
brated engineer,  and  inventor  of  the  locomotive 
engine,  George  Stephenson,  said  that  he  studied 
mechanics  with  his  engine  instead  of  a  professor. 
Indeed,  the  engine  was  his  professor,  and  taught  him 
daily  the  most  important  lessons.  He  was  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  was  running  the  engine  in  a  colliery. 
On  Saturday  afternoons,  when  the  workmen  were  re- 
leased from  labor,  and  were  spending  their  time  in 
rum-shops,  or  attending  dog-fights,  George  took  his 
engine  to  pieces,  and  cleaned  and  studied  it.  He 
could  neither  read  nor  write,  but  he  could  under- 
stand and  appropriate  the  silent  lessons  of  his  en 
gine ;    and   these   made    him    the    renowned   inventor 


HIGHER    UP.  105 


of  the  locomotive.  Well  might  he  call  the  engine 
his  teacher. 

James  might  have  called  the  farm  his  teacher.  It 
taught  him  many  excellent  lessons.  He  extracted  the 
most  valuable  knowledge  from  its  soil.  He  evoked 
inspiring  thoughts  from  its  labor.  His  manhood 
developed  under  its  rigid  discipline.  His  mind  en- 
larged its  mental  grasp.  The  season  spent  in  the  log 
school-house  could  not  have  pushed  him  higher  up 
than  did  his  experience  on  the  farm.  It  was  positive 
proof  that  work  is  discipline  as  much  as  study,  and 
that  it^  can  do  for  boys,  often,  more  than  study  to 
qualify  them  for  the  stern  duties  of  life.  James  was 
more  of  a  man  at  the  close  of  that  season  than  he 
was  at  the  beginning  of  it. 

He  had  little  time  to  read  during  those  months  ; 
and  yet  he  never  valued  reading  more.  He  was 
never  more  hungry  for  knowledge  than  he  was  during 
that  period  of  constant  labor.  He  thought  much  of 
going  to  school ;  and  often  the  thought  would  force 
itself  upon  his  mind,  how  can  I  get  an  education } 
Not  that  he  formed  any  definite  plan  concerning  it, 
or  even  considered  that  such  a  thing  was  possible  ; 
but  the  vague  thought  would  sometimes  arise.  And 
then  his  mother  frequently  dropped  remarks  which 
showed  the  strong  desire  of  her  heart,  that  James 
might,  at  some  future  time,  she  knew  not  how  or 
when,  become  a  scholar.  That  such  a  boy  should 
spend  his  life  in  tilling  the  earth  appeared  to  her  like 
wasting  pearls. 

"James,  I  hope  that  you  will  not  always  have  to 
work  on  a  farm."     How  often  she  remarked  thus. 


I06  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  What  would  you  do  if  I  shouldn't  ? "  was  James' 
thoughtful  reply. 

**  I  hardly  know.  *  It  is  not  in  man  that  walketh 
to  direct  his  steps,'  and  I  am  glad  of  it.  There 
is  my  hope,  that  some  day  you  can  get  an  educa- 
tion." 

''  I  should  like  to,  if  it  is  best." 

"  I  know  it  will  be  best,  if  you  can  do  it.  You  can 
never  know  too  much." 

"  I  guess  that  is  so,"  replied  James,  half  humor- 
ously. "  I  couldn't  ever  know  too  much  to  work  on  a 
farm.  There  is  more  to  learn  about  it  than  I  could 
learn  in  many  years." 

"  That  is  true,  no  doubt ;  but  I  have  a  strong  desire 
that  you  should  become  a  scholar  ;  and  sometimes  the 
desire  is  so  strong  that  I  feel  as  if  I  could  not  be 
denied." 

"I  don't  feel  so." 

"  Wouldn't  you  like  to  study,  and  become  a 
scholar  .-* " 

"  Why,  yes,  I  should  like  nothing  better ;  but  how 
can  I  do  it }  " 

"  I  don't  know,  and  that  is  what  troubles  me, 
though  I  ought  not  to  be  troubled.  I  know  that  God 
will  open  the  way,  if  it  is  best,  and  I  ought  to  leave 
it  there  ;  but,  somehow,  I  can't  help  having  anxiety 
about  it." 

"  Well,  it  can't  be  at  present,"  added  James,  as  if 
perfectly  satisfied  with  his  situation. 

Thus  James  was  led  on,  and  his  mother,  too,  not 
knowing  whither  Providence  was  guiding  them. 
James   was   going  up  higher  all  the  while,  although 


HIGHER    UP.  107 


it  scarcely  seemed  so  to  his  doting  mother.  The 
Lord  was  laying  a  deeper  foundation  than  could  have 
been  laid  if  she  had  had  her  own  way.  "  A  man's 
heart  deviseth  his  way,  but  the  Lord  directeth  his 
steps." 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

BOY      CARPENTER. 

lOM  is  coming!"  was  the  shout  Mrs.  Gar- 
field heard,  as  she  caught  sight  of  James 
bounding  across  the  garden.  ''Tom  is 
coming!"  louder  yet.  One  would  have 
thought  the  boy  had  suddenly  lost  his  reason,  judging 
by  his  antics. 

Sure  enough  !  Looking  from  the  cabin  door  she  saw 
Thomas  approaching,  and  James  had  already  reached 
him  in  his  pleasurable  excitement.  If  James  was 
glad  to  get  hold  of  Thomas'  hand,  Thomas  was  equally 
rejoiced  to  get  hold  of  James.  The  greeting  was 
mutual  and  hearty.  The  big  brother  and  the  little 
brother  made  for  the  house,  hand  in  hand,  their  tongues 
running  glibly  all  the  while. 

"  Are  we  going  to  have  a  frame-house  now.?"  asked 
James,  almost  the  first  thing. 

"Yes,  we'll  have  a  frame-house  now,  and  let  the 
hens  keep  house  in  the  cabin,"  replied  Thomas. 

"  It's  just  about  good  enough  for  them,"  remarked 
James  in  response.     **  It  will  make  a  good  hen-house." 

"Rather  better  accommodations  than  they  have 
had,"  Thomas  added;  "and  will  compare  well  with 
our  quarters  when  the  house  is  done." 

loS 


BOV  CARPENTER.  IO9 

By  this  time  mother  and  son  stood  face  to  face, 
James  shouting: 

"Going  to  have  the  frame-house  now,  mother!" 

Mrs.  Garfield  found  that  she  was  a  good  deal  like 
James,  and  when  she  saw  that  her  Thomas  was  cer- 
tainly coming,  she  forgot  everything  else,  and  hast- 
ened to  meet  him,  —  not  as  wildly  as  James,  but  very 
much  as  all  fond  mothers  will  do  when  they  have  not 
seen  their  good  sons  for  seven  months.  She  went 
across  the  house-lot  at  double-quick,  and  soon  had  hold 
of  the  big  boy  as  firmly  as  he  had  hold  of  her.  It  was 
a  glad  meeting.  Mothers  and  sons  who  dwell  in 
palaces  scarcely  know  what  a  luxury  it  was.  Why,  it 
more  than  paid  for  the  long  separation.  The  meeting 
paid  principal  and  interest  in  full.  The  family  were 
united  again,  —  girls,  boys,  and  mother,  —  one  girl 
rather  big  now,  twenty-three  years  old ;  and  Thomas 
almost  twenty-two,  just  the  age  of  his  father  when  the 
latter  was  married.     Happy  family ! 

They  were  hardly  seated  in  the  cabin,  when  Thomas 
flung  a  handful  of  gold  into  his  mother's  lap,  saying : 

"  Now  you  can  have  a  frame-house;"  and  the  noble 
young  man  seemed  to  be  perfectly  satisfied,  now  that 
he  was  able  to  give  his  mother  a  better  home.  ''We'll 
go  about  it  at  once." 

"My!  what  a  lot!"  was  James'  exclamation  when 
he  saw  the  shining  gold  ;  and  he  proceeded  to  examine 
the  treasure  in  his  mother's  lap. 

"  How  much  is  there,  Tom.'*"  he  asked. 

"Seventy-five  dollars,  just." 

"And  you  earned  it  all.''" 

"Every  cent  of  it." 


no  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

James  read  aloud  the  inscriptions  on  the  new,  bright 
coin,  while  he  handled  it  in  amazement  that  his  own 
brother  could  make  such  a  "pile."  Things  had  not 
been  conducted  on  a  gold  basis  in  that  cabin,  so  that 
it  was  a  new  spectacle  that  suddenly  broke  upon 
James'  delighted  vision.  He  had  not  seen  gold  coin 
before,  nor  had  he  dreamed  that  such  an  article  could 
come  out  of  the  Michigan  woods.  It  is  not  strange, 
therefore,  that  the  backwoods  boy  was  considerably 
elated  over  the  sight.  What  a  mint  was  to  him  later, 
that  seventy-five  dollars  in  gold  was  to  him  then. 

"Why  don't  you  say  something,  mother.'*"  exclaimed 
James,  no  doubt  expecting  that  his  mother  would  be 
as  gushing  as  himself  over  the  gold.  The  fact  was,  she 
could  not  have  said  anything  if  she  had  tried.  What 
mother  could  in  the  circumstances }  That  great  boy, 
as  old  as  his  father  was  when  she  became  his  bride, 
coming  home  with  such  proof  of  his  filial  love !  Think- 
ing of  his  mother  more  than  he  did  of  himself!  Happy 
only  in  helping  her!  Who  wonders  that  she  sat  mute 
as  a  marble  statue  .-*  There  was  no  language  for  such 
an  occasion.  All  the  Noah  Websters  in  the  world 
could  not  provide  words  for  such  a  moment.  A  mother's 
heart,  at  such  a  time,  defies  expression.  At  least  it 
was  so  with  mother  Garfield's  heart.  It  could  have 
taken  that  strapping  son  to  itself,  and  folded  him  like 
a  baby  again,  and  covered  him  over  with  kisses,  which 
v.'ould  have  been  only  a  figure  of  speech,  but  language 
was  out  of  the  question.  James  saw  the  point  as  soon 
as  her  tears  dropped  upon  the  gold  coin.  He  could 
not  exactly  understand  it,  though,  for  Jie  felt  like 
hurrahing  instead  of  crying,   and    he    knew  that    his 


BOY  CARPENTER.  HI 


mother  was  glad  that  she  could  have  a  frame-house,  for 
he  had  often  heard  her  express  a  wish  of  that  kind. 
So  he  could  not  quite  understand  it.  Readers  !  it  was 
because  he  was  like  all  the  rest  of  the  boys  and  girls  — 
they  do  not  understand  the  mystery  of  a  mother's 
love. 

The  excitement  of  the  hour  passed,  however,  and 
the  equilibrium  of  feeling  and  daily  duties  was  re- 
stored. 

"I'm  off  again,  mother,  as  soon  as  I  get  you  into 
the  new  house,"  said  Thomas.  ''There's  plenty  of 
work  in  Michigan,  and  I  must  be  doing  it." 

''Well,  you  must  manage  it  to  suit  yourself.  I  sup- 
pose that  Mr.  Treat  can  be  had  at  any  time  to  put  the 
house  up."     Mr.  Treat  was  the  carpenter. 

"  I  will  find  out.  I  can  work  with  him,  and  we'll 
make  a  quick  job  of  it." 

"I'll  work,  too,"  said  James.  "I  can  carry  boards, 
drive  nails,  and  do  other  things." 

"You  can  draw  the  sand,  too,  Jimmy,"  replied 
Thomas. 

"Sand!  What  do  you  do  with  sand.?"  exclaimed 
James,  forgetting  that  mortar  was  necessary.  It  was 
excusable,  however,  since  he  was  familiar  only  with 
mud,  that  made  the  log-house  tight. 

"  To  make  mortar  with,  of  course  ;  we  must  have 
mortar  for  plastering,"  Thomas  answered.  "I  can 
get  lime,  brick,  nails,  and  windows  at  Cleveland." 

"And  you'll  take  me  along  with  you,  I  s'pose," 
suggested  James. 

"  Yes  ;  I  can  chuck  you  in  most  anywhere.  Per- 
haps I  shall  need  your  help." 


112  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

James  had  not  been  to  Cleveland,  at  that  time.  It 
was  but  a  small  place,  of  about  a  thousand  inhab- 
itants, though  growing  rapidly. 

"  How  long  will  you  be  gone  to  Cleveland  ? "  in- 
quired James. 

*'  One  day  only ;  can't  spare  any  more  time.  A 
long  day,  perhaps." 

"  When  shall  you  go  .^  " 

"Just  as  soon  as  I  have  engaged  Mr.  Treat." 

Mr.  Treat  was  seen  and  engaged  at  once,  and 
Thomas  and  James  made  the  trip  to  Cleveland  for 
windows,  nails,  etc.  Bricks  were  obtained  subse- 
quently, without  going  to  Cleveland. 

A  few  days  only  elapsed  before  the  carpenter  and 
Thomas  were  at  work  on  the  new  house.  James,  too, 
was  not  a  mere  spectator.  He  was  far  more  inter- 
ested in  the  erection  of  the  house  than  he  would  have 
been  in  a  circus.  It  was  an  era  in  his  life.  All  the 
spare  moments  he  could  snatch  from  the  farm-work 
and  care  of  the  stock  he  devoted  to  the  new  house. 
He  had  drawn  the  sand  before  the  carpenter  began  to 
frame  the  building. 

"Here,  Jimmy,  I  see  you  want  to  help,"  said  Mr. 
Treat.  "  Just  take  this  chisel  and  mallet,  and  put 
this  mortise  through  as  you  have  seen  me  do  the 
others.     I  guess  you  can  do  it." 

"  Yes,  I  can  do  that,"  James  answered,  elated  with 
the  idea  of  being  able  to  render  assistance ;  and 
with  mallet  and  chisel  the  mortise  was  hurried 
through. 

"Give  us  another,"  exclaimed  James,  proud  of  his 
achievement. 


BOY  CARPENTER.  1 13 


"What!"  responded    Mr.   Treat,  "got   that   done 

so  quick  ? " 

"Yes,  all  done  ;  look  at  it,"  answered  James. 

"And  well  done,  too,"  said  Mr.  Treat,  examining 
the  mortise.     ''  Pretty  good  for  a  boy." 

"Can  I  do  another?"  continued  James. 

"  Yes,  a  dozen  if  you  want  to ; "  and  the  carpen- 
ter started  him  on  another  mortise,  and  after  that 
another,   and   another,    until   he   had  completed   the 

sixth. 

"You  must  try  your  hand  at  planing  now,"  said 
Mr.  Treat.  "A  small  boy  to  shove  a  plane,  but  I 
guess  you  can  do  it.  Here  (arranging  a  board  on  his 
bench),  try  this,  and  see  how  you  make  it." 

At  that  time  planing  machines  were  unknown,  at 
least  in  that  part  of  the  country ;  all  the  planing  was 
done  by  hand.     In  the  newly-settled  townships,  like 
Orange,   also,   less   planing   was   done  ;    more    rough 
boards  were  used.     The  frame-houses  were  of  rude 
construction,  having  no  particular  style  or  comeliness, 
—  just  a  comfortable  place  to  live  in,  more  comfort- 
able  and   pleasant    than    log-cabins.     Many   of   them 
could  boast   only  of  a  single  room  below,  —  parlor, 
sitting-room,   kitchen,  and   wash-room,   all  in  one, — 
the  second  story  remaining  unfinished,  and  used  for 
lodging,   being  divided  into   apartments  by  curtains. 
It  was  very  little  labor  and  small  expense  to  erect 
such  a  dwelling.     Others  were  somewhat  more  elabo- 
rate, having  two,  and  even  three  rooms  below,  with 
sleeping-rooms  finished   above.      The  Garfield   house 
contained  three   rooms  below,  and  two  above,  unfin- 
ished.    Hence,  seventy-five  dollars  was  ample  to  buy 


114  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

nails,  bricks,  lime,  and  other  necessary  articles,  and 
to  pay  the  carpenter  in  addition. 

James  went  on  with  the  planing  very  readily,  for  he 
had  watched  both  Mr.  Treat  and  Thomas  in  this  part 
of  the  work  until  he  comprehended  the  "knack,"  as 
the  carpenter  called  it.  As  we  have  already  said,  his 
sharp  observation  was  equal  to  a  teacher,  and  it  made 
him  master  of  many  things  that  he  never  could  have 
known  without  this  faculty.  Captain  Samuel  Brown, 
a  bridge-builder,  lived  on  the  banks  of  the  Tweed, 
across  which  he  desired  to  build  a  bridge.  While  he 
was  studying  the  subject,  he  chanced  to  walk  in  his 
garden  early  one  fine  morning,  when  his  attention  was 
arrested  by  a  spider's-web  across  his  path.  A  careful 
examination  of  the  web  suggested  to  him  the  idea  of  a 
suspension-bridge,  constructed  by  the  use  of  iron  ropes 
or  chains,  as  the  spider  had  built  his  light  bridge. 
No  indifferent  gazer  would  take  the  hint  of  a  suspen- 
sion-bridge from  the  web  of  a  spider,  but  sharp,  dis- 
criminating observation  took  the  hint. 

James'  keen  observation  enabled  him  to  build  many 
suspension-bridges  over  impassable  places  in  his  boy- 
hood and  youth,  and,  in  comparison  with  some  of 
them,  his  success  with  carpenter's  tools  is  scarcely 
worth  mentioning. 

"  I  like  this,"  said  James,  as  he  turned  over  the 
well-planed  board  to  the  carpenter,  "  it's  fun  !  " 

"  You  will  not  find  much  ///;/  in  it  when  you  have 
kept  at  it  all  day,"  replied  the  carpenter.  "  It  takes 
elbow-grease  to  do  this  work  well." 

"Elbow-grease!"  repeated  James;  "what's  elbow- 
grease  } " 


BOV  CARPENTER.  II5 

"  It  is  sweat,  that  is  pouring  out  of  you  now, 
Jimmy,"  the  carpenter  replied.  "Can't  do  much  at 
planing  without  putting  sweat  into  it." 

"  Sweat  alone  won't  run  a  plane,"  rejoined  James, 
intimating  to  the  carpenter  that  brains  were  needed 
as  much  as  work. 

'*  That  is  so,"  replied  Mr.  Treat ;  "  but  you  under- 
stand what  I  mean.  The  most  skilful  workman  will 
find  hard  labor  in  this  business  ;  and  to  do  it  well,  he 
must  be  willing  to  sweat." 

"  If  sweat  is  proof  of  doing  it  well,  then  the  board 
is  well  planed,  Mr.  Treat,  for  I  sweat  enough,"  James 
added. 

"  You  have  done  it  well ;  I  couldn't  have  done  it 
better  myself,"  replied  Mr.  Treat.  *'  You  were  born 
to  be  a  carpenter,  I  guess." 

**rd  like  to  be  one,"  interrupted  James,  "if  I  could 
be  a  good  one." 

"Well,  you  would  make  a  good  one,  my  boy, 
judging  from  the  work  you  have  done.  Perhaps 
you  will  be  a  boss-carpenter  before  you  are  twenty- 
one.     Who  knows  } " 

"  I  couldn't  be  that  without  a  chance,"  remarked 
James,  intimating  that  a  chance  was  scarcely  possi- 
ble for  a  boy  in  his  circumstances. 

"  Of  course  not ;  but  where  there's  a  will  there's  a 
way." 

"That's  what  mother  says." 

"And  that  is  what  overcomes  difficulties,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Treat.  "But  there  are  more  boards 
(pointing  to  a  pile  on  the  ground)  if  you  want  to  do 
more  of  this  sort  of  work." 


Il6  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

Another  board  was  laid  on  the  bench,  and  James 
continued  to  drive  the  plane  for  an  hour  and  more. 
He  was  general  errand-boy  when  he  was  about  the 
building,  so  that  he  could  not  use  plane  or  chisel 
long,  without  interruption.  It  was,  "  Go  here,"  and 
**go  there;"  "get  this,"  and  "get  that;"  to  all  of 
which  demands  he  cheerfully  responded. 

The  raising  of  the  house  was  a  grand  affair  to 
James.  It  was  the  first  house-raising  he  ever 
attended,  and  it  was  a  great  novelty.  He  was  sent  to 
notify  the  neighbors  of  the  event  on  a  given  day, 
and  to  solicit  their  assistance.  The  neighbors  were 
thoroughly  glad  that  Mrs.  Garfield  was  going  to 
have  a  new  house,  and  many  were  their  praises  of 
the  son  who  thus  provided  for  his  worthy  mother. 
They  were  promptly  on  hand  at  the  time,  and  the 
frame  went  up  without  mistake  or  accident.  And 
now  came  another  treat  for  James.  He  had  had  his 
eye  upon  a  keg  of  nails  for  some  days,  anticipating 
the  highest  kind  of  pleasure  from  driving  them.  It 
was  sport  for  him  to  drive  nails,  as  it  is  for  boys 
generally,  and  he  expected  to  have  his  fill  of  the  fun. 

"  Now,  Jimmy,  you  can  try  your  hand  at  driving 
nails,"  said  Mr.  Treat,  addressing  the  boy-carpenter. 
''That  is  pretty  work,  and  won't  require  quite  so 
much  elbow-grease." 

"  I  have  a  particular  liking  for  driving  nails," 
replied  James  ;  "  where  shall  I  begin  .?  " 

"  Right  here,  where  I  have  put  in  these  two.  Lay 
them  just  as  I  have  laid  these,  and  it  will  be  right. 
See  if  you  can  'hit  the  nail  on  the  head;'  some 
boys  never  can  do  it,  and    so  they  grow    up   to   be 


BOV  CARPENTER.  1 17 


men,  and  live  and  die,  without  ever  '  hitting  the  nail 
on  the  head.' "  Mr.  Treat  cast  a  knowing  look  at 
James  as  he  said  it,  and  a  smile  played  over  his 
face,  as  if  curious  to  see  how  his  figurative  expres- 
sion was  taken. 

"  I  can  hit  that  sort  of  a  nail  on  the  head,  if  I  can't 
any  other,"  answered  James,  with  a  smile,  under- 
standing the  drift  of  his  figure  of  speech.  And 
hastily  he  let  drive  his  hammer  at  a  nail,  and  missed 
it  the  first  time,  much  to  his  chagrin. 

"  Missed  the  first  blow ! "  exclaimed  the  carpen- 
ter, with  a  shout  of  laughter.  "You  didn't  do  that 
as  well  as  you  did  the  planing  and  mortising.  How 
is  that .? " 

**Only  a  blunder,"  James  replied,  with  evident 
mortification. 

*'  Well,  see  if  you  can  strike  again  without  blunder- 
ing," responded  Mr.  Treat,  laughing.  "There's  a 
*  knack '  in  driving  nails  as  well  as  in  planing  boards. 
Just  get  the  *  knack'  of  the  thing,  and  it  will  go." 

"Here  goes  the  'knack,'  then,"  exclaimed  James, 
as  his  hammer  struck  the  nail  squarely  on  the  head. 
"  The  '  knack '  it  is,  every  time  !  Nails  are  made  to 
drive,  and  I  will  drive  them."  And  his  hammer  flew 
with  unerring  aim,  as  nail  after  nail  was  driven  in, 
with  a  will  that  signified  determination  and  force  of 
character.  Missing  the  first  blow  just  set  him  on  his 
feet,  resolved  that  a  steady  aim  and  square  hit  should 
attend  every  blow  that  followed.  He  learned  the 
lesson  of  carefulness  and  brave  endeavor  from  his 
failure,  so  that  he  became  more  expert  in  the  use  of 
the   hammer   than   he   would    have   been   otherwise. 


Il8  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Such  is  the  case  with  all  boys  who  win ;  a  failure 
arouses  their  latent  skill  and  energy,  and  they  bid 
defiance  to  failures  thereafter.  In  his  youth,  Curran, 
who  became  the  famous  Irish  orator,  broke  down  on 
his  first  attempt  to  speak  in  a  debating  society.  He 
was  a  stammerer,  and  when  he  rose  in  his  place  his 
stuttering  speech  was  worse  than  ever.  He  floun- 
dered at  first,  stammered  out  something  nobody  could 
understand,  and  then  stood  speechless.  His  com- 
panions roared  with  laughter.  One  said,  in  a  low 
voice,  "  Orator  Mum ! "  Another  peal  of  laughter 
followed  this  new  title ;  and  it  aroused  the  invincible 
spirit  of  the  boy. 

"You  may  laugh  now,"  he  shouted,  finally,  "but  I 
will  conquer  this  stammering  tongue,  and  some  day 
you  will  listen  and  commend."  All  of  which  came  to 
pass  exactly  as  prophesied.  The  gist  of  the  matter  was 
in  him,  and  the  mortifying  failure  served  to  bring  it  out. 

"Nothing  like  being  plucky,"  remarked  Mr.  Treat, 
when  he  witnessed  James'  success  in  driving  nails. 
"Pluck  wins  when  luck  loses." 

"Mother  says  there  is  no  such  thing  as  lucky'  re- 
sponded James. 

"  Your  mother  is  about  right,  according  to  my  no- 
tion," answered  Mr.  Treat.  "  Boys  that  depend  on 
luck  for  a  livelihood  go  pretty  hungry  sometimes. 
I'd  rather  a  boy  of  mine  would  have  a  single  ounce 
of  pluck  than  a  whole  pound  of  luck.  Luck  is  like 
an  old  United  States  bank  bill,  of  very  uncertain 
value  ;  but  pluck  is  good  as  gold  all  the  time." 

"Well,"  •'^aid  James,  jocosely,  "you  must  admit  that 
my  first  blow  was  a  very  tinlitcky  one." 


BOY  CARPENTER.  I  19 

"  Unlucky  !  not  in  the  least  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Treat. 
"It  was  just  what  you  said  it  was,  *a  blunder,'  and  a 
blunder  is  neither  lucky  nor  unlucky.  But  you  have 
made  amends,  so  go  ahead  with  your  nailing." 

And  James  did  go  ahead,  spending  every  moment 
possible  in  labor  upon  the  new  house,  and  acquiring 
facility  in  the  use  of  tools  that  served  him  a  good  turn 
many  years  thereafter.  To  the  last  day's  labor  upon 
the  house  James  rendered  all  the  assistance  he  could, 
happy  only  in  the  thought  that  he  could  make  him- 
self useful.  Nor  was  this  the  best  part  of  the  dis- 
cipline. James  received  a  kind  of  education  when 
the  house  was  building  that  proved  of  great  ad- 
vantage to  him  through  life.  Before  the  house  was 
completed,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  making  the  car- 
penter's trade  a  source  of  profit.  It  was  on  his  mind 
day  after  day,  the  last  thing  he  thought  of  before  fall- 
ing asleep  at  night,  and  the  first  thing  when  he  awoke 
in  the  morning.  He  divulged  his  purpose  to  no  one, 
but  pondered  it  for  several  months  in  his  own  heart. 
The  family  had  removed  into  the  new  house,  and 
Thomas  had  returned  to  Michigan,  and  James  was 
manager  of  the  farm-work. 

"  Mother,"  he  said  one  day,  when  he  could  not  keep 
his  purpose  a  secret  any  longer,  '*  I  have  a  plan  to 
earn  some  money." 

"What  is  it.?" 

"  To  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade." 

"  I'm  afraid  that  plan  won't  work." 

"Why.?" 

"  You  have  enough  to  do  on  the  farm  now,  and  you 
can't  do  both." 


I20  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

''  I  only  meant  to  work  at  it  when  I  had  no  work  on 
the  farm  to  do,  — a  job  now  and  then." 

**  It  will  be  difficult  to  find  such  jobs." 

"  Perhaps  it  will,  but  I  can  try^  and  you  believe  in 
trying^  James  emphasized  the  words  try  and  trying^ 
because  his  mother  often  made  the  remark  to  her 
children,  "There  is  nothing  like  trying^ 

**  Yes,  I  believe  in  trying  always,  and  you  may  try 
as  hard  as  you  please  to  find  a  job." 

''I'm  going  to  Mr.  Treat ;  perhaps  he  may  haX^e  a 
job  at  planing  or  something  of  the  kind.  I  want  to 
earn  sorne  money  for  you  as  well  as  Thomas.  I  will 
go  to  Michigan  when  I  am  old  as  he  is." 

*'One  son  in  Michigan  is  enough,  I  think.  Besides, 
I  hope  the  day  will  come  when  you  can  be  more  use- 
ful than  you  can  be  in  chopping  wood  or  planing 
boards." 

"  I  don't  know  what  there  is  better  than  such  work, 
to  help  you." 

*'  There  is  somebody  else  in  the  world  to  help  be- 
sides me,"  replied  his  mother,  earnestly ;  "and  I  don't 
want  you  to  feel  that  you  are  always  to  be  bound  to 
this  little  township  and  farm." 

"  I  don't  expect  to  be  bound  to  it  always,"  retorted 
James  ;  "but  I  am  bound  to  get  a  job  at  carpentering 
this  very  day,  if  I  can ;  and  I  am  going  over  to  see 
Mr.  Treat." 

Within  less  than  an  hour,  James  entered  the  car- 
penter-shop. 

"  Halloo,  Jimmy  !  that  you  .-*  How's  your  mother  }  " 
exclaimed  Mr.  Treat,  in  a  very  jolly  way,  as  he  was 
wont  to  do. 


BOV  CARPENTER.  121 

*'She  is  well." 

"Not  much  farming  to  do  just  now,  I  suppose?" 
continued  Mr.  T,,  inquiringly. 

*'  No,  not  very  much ;  and  I  came  over  to  see  you 
about  some  work." 

"  Ah,  that's  what  brought  you  here !  I  see  now ; 
what  sort  of  work  do  you  want  to  do  .-* " 

"  Your  kind  of  work,  of  course  ;  carpentering." 

"All  right,  Jimmy!  Glad  to  see  there  are  no  lazy 
bones  in  you.  I  hate  lazy  boys  above  all  things, 
and  I  know  that  you  don't  belong  to  that  class." 

"  I  hope  not,"  answered  James ;  "  I  thought  I 
might  as  well  be  earning  a  little  something  for 
mother,  now  Tom's  gone,  and  so  I  came  to  see  if 
you  could  give  me  a  job." 

"That's  noble,  to  help  your  mother.  Boys  who 
stick  to  their  mothers  don't  often  make  a  failure, 
especially  boys  with  such  a  mother  as  you  have. 
You  can't  think  too  much  of  your  mother.  They  are 
the  boys  I  like  to  give  a  job  to." 

"  Can  you  give  me  a  job } "  James  interrupted, 
evidently  thinking  that  Mr.  Treat  was  making  a 
pretty  long  story  over  the  affair. 

"  Yes,  my  boy,  I  can,  and  I  am  right  glad  to  do  it, 
too.  There  is  a  pile  of  boards  that  I  want  planed, 
and  I  know  that  you  can  plane  them  well.  I  haven't 
forgot  how  you  worked  on  the  house." 

"  How  much  will  you  pay  me  } " 

"  One  cent  a  board  ;  and  that  will  be  pretty  good 
pay." 

"When  do  you  want  them  done  }  " 

"Just  as  soon  as  you  can ;  the  quicker  the  better." 


122  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"I  will  come  to-morrow  and  begin.'* 

"  All  right,  sonny ;  begin  to-morrow,  and  end  when 
you  please." 

"  You  wouldn't  like  to  have  me  keep  the  job  on  hand 
a  month,  would  you  .?  "  replied  James,  pleasantly,  think- 
ing about  the  words  "end  when  you  please." 

"  You  won't  do  that,  Jimmy.  I  know  that  you  will 
put  it  through  just  as  soon  as  possible,  and  that  will 
suit.  When  I  said  *  end  it  when  you  please,'  I  knew 
that  you  would  please  to  end  it  as  soon  as  you  could. 
Your  money  is  ready  as  soon  as  the  job  is  done." 

**  I'll  be  on  hand  to-morrow,  just  as  soon  as  I've 
done  my  chores,"  remarked  James,  and  left. 

It  was  a  proud  moment  for  James,  and  exultation 
beamed  in  his  eye  when  he  reached  home,  and 
reported  his  good  fortune  to  his  mother. 

"  It  will  be  the  first  money  I  ever  earned,"  said 
James. 

"  And  you  are  pretty  young  to  earn  it,"  replied  his 
mother.  "  I'm  glad  you  have  the  job.  I  hardly 
thought  you  would  find  one." 

"  Trying  brought  it,"  responded  James,  with  a  very 
suggestive  expression  on  his  face. 

"■  I  guess  Mr.  Treat  made  the  job  on  purpose  for 
you  ;  he  is  a  great  friend  of  yours,"  added  Mrs.  Gar- 
field. **  I  know  he  would  be  glad  to  help  you  to  all 
the  jobs  possible.     When  are  you  going  to  begin  it }  " 

"  To-morrow,  early  as  I  can." 

"  Well,  be  careful  and  not  overwork.  Two  hours  a 
day  is  as  much  as  you  ought  to  work  at  planing ; 
three  hours  at  most." 

"  I   shall    work    six    hours    to-morrow,    certainly," 


BOV  CARPENTER.  I  23 

replied  James.  *'  I  should  laugh  to  see  myself  work 
two  hours,  and  then  cry  '  baby,'  and  come  home  ;  and 
I  guess  Mr.  Treat  would  laugh,  too." 

"  I  think  Mr.  Treat  will  agree  with  me  exactly,  that 
boys  must  not  overwork ;  and  you  are  so  ambitious, 
James,  that  you  will  overwork  before  you  know  it, 
unless  somebody  warns  you."  Mrs.  Garfield  expressed 
just  the  opinion  that  every  thoughtful  parent  would 
express.  James  had  more  energy  and  ambition  than 
he  had  discretion,  so  that  he  was  blind  to  the  value  of 
his  mother's  counsel. 

"  If  you  see  me  coming  home  to-morrow  in  two 
hours,  or  three,  you  may  know  that  I've  lost  an  arm 
or  finished  the  job,"  remarked  James,  very  suggestive- 
ly.    And  here  the  conversation  closed. 

James  went  to  his  job  the  next  day  with  more  de- 
termination than  ever,  much  as  he  had  shown  of  this 
admirable  quality  before.  If  his  mother  looked  into 
his  eye,  or  observed  his  compressed  lips,  as  he  went 
out  of  the  door,  she  must  have  been  satisfied  that 
three  hours'  planing  would  not  satisfy  his  ambitious 
desires  on  that  day.  Mr.  Treat  gave  him  cordial 
words  of  welcome,  in  his  jovial  way,  assuring  him  that 
the  "  early  bird  catches  the  worm,"  at  the  same  time 
handing  him  a  jack-plane.  James  stripped  off  his 
jacket  and  vest,  leaving  only  his  shirt  and  jean  trou- 
sers to  encumber  him.  He  was  bare-footed,  of  course, 
as  the  luxury  of  shoes  could  not  be  afforded,  except  in 
the  winter.  He  was  scarcely  tall  enough  to  work 
handily  at  the  bench,  but  he  seemed  to  straighten 
himself  up  one  or  two  inches  taller  than  usual  for  the 
occasion.      He   went   to   work   like   a   man.      Every 


124  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

board  was  twelve  feet  long ;  and  by  the  time  he  had 
planed  ten  of  them  his  mind  was  fully  made  up  to 
what  nobody  knew  except  himself.  They  found  out, 
however,  at  night.  All  through  the  day  the  plane 
was  shoved  rapidly,  and  great  beads  of  sweat  stood 
upon  the  boy's  brow,  but  no  tired  look  invested  his 
countenance  for  a  moment.  Before  the  sun  went 
down  he  exclaimed,  laying  aside  the  plane,  — 

*'  One  hundred  boards,  Mr.  Treat,  done !  count 
them  and  see." 

"  Not  a  hundred,  my  boy,  you  don't  mean  that,  do 
you  ■> " 

"  Count  them,  and  see ;  a  hundred  boards  accord- 
ing to  my  count." 

*'  A  great  day's  work,  if  that  is  the  case,"  said 
Mr.  Treat,  as  he  proceeded  to  count  the  boards. 

"  One  hundred  it  is,  surely,"  remarked  Mr.  Treat, 
completing  the  count.  "  Too  much  for  a  boy  of  your 
age  and  size  to  do  in  one  day.  I  wouldn't  advise  you 
to  do  more  than  half  that  another  day." 

**  I'm  not  much  tired,"  said  James. 

**  That  is  not  the  thing,  my  boy ;  thirty  years  from 
now  you  may  feel  tired  from  this  day's  labor  more 
than  you  do  now." 

"  If  it  takes  as  long  as  that  to  get  tired,  then  the 
tired  part  is  far  off,"  responded  James,  not  appreciating 
the  wise  remark  of  his  employer. 

"  Well,  now  comes  the  best  part  of  your  day's 
work,  the  pay,"  remarked  Mr.  Treat.  "  Let  us  see  ; 
one  hundred  boards  takes  one  hundred  cents  to  pay 
for  them  ;  that  is  just  one  dollar !  A  great  day's  work 
for  a  boy-carpenter  !     Now,  you  count,  and  I'll  count." 


Earning  ins  fikst  Dollar. 


BOY  CARPENTER.  1 25 

And  he  proceeded  to  count  out  one  hundred  cents, 
making  quite  a  little  pile  of  coin  when  the  dollar,  all 
in  cents,  was  ready  for  James'  pocket. 

Reader,  we  might  as  well  stop  here  as  to  pro- 
ceed further  with  the  history  of  that  day's  labor.  It 
would  be  quite  impossible  to  describe  James'  feelings 
to  you,  as  he  pocketed  the  one  hundred  cents  and 
started  for  home.  That  old  jacket  never  covered  just 
such  a  breast  as  it  did  then.  If  we  could  only  turn 
that  bosom  inside  out,  and  have  a  full  view  of  the 
boy's  heart,  we  should  learn  what  no  writer  can  ever 
describe.  It  was  a  man's  heart  in  a  boy's  breast. 
There  was  not  room  for  it  under  the  jacket.  It 
swelled  with  inexpressible  emotions,  as  ground-swells 
sometimes  lift  the  ocean  higher  than  usual.  *'  One 
Jmndred  cejits^  all  in  one  day  !  "  The  more  he  thought 
of  it  on  his  way  home  the  prouder  grew  the  occasion. 
*'  Seventy-five  days  like  that  would  yield  him  as  much 
as  Thomas  brought  home  from  Michigan ! "  The 
thought  was  too  great  for  belief.  That  would  not  be 
half  so  long  as  Thomas  was  gone,  and  away  from 
home,  too.  And  so  he  thought  and  pondered,  and 
pondered  and  thought,  on  his  way  home,  his  boyhood 
putting  on  manhood  in  more  than  one  respect.  He 
was  ''  Great  Heart,"  bare-footed  and  in  jean  trousers. 

Whether  James  intended  to  ape  Thomas  or  not,  we 
cannot  say ;  but,  on  reaching  home,  he  unloaded  the 
coppers  into  his  mother's  lap,  saying,  — 

"  Yours,  mother." 

''  All  that,  James  }  " 

'*  One  hundred  cents,"  was  James*  reply. 

"  What !  earned  a  dollar  to-day  .-*  " 


126  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Yes  ;  I  planed  a  hundred  boards." 

By  this  time  Mrs.  Garfield  became  as  dumb  as  she 
was  over  the  seventy-five  dollars  that  Thomas  brought 
to  her.  There  was  some  trouble  in  her  throat,  and 
the  power  of  speech  left  her.  She  could  not  tell  what 
she  thought,  nor  how  she  felt.  If  her  eldest  son  had 
made  her  cry  with  kindness,  the  youngest  one  was 
doing  the  best  he  could  to  imitate  his  example.  The 
little  son  could  be  handled  as  the  big  one  could  not 
be,  and  so  the  dear,  good  mother  folded  him  to  her 
breast,  as  the  only  way  to  tell  her  love  when  the 
tongue  was  voiceless. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

BARN-BUILDING. 

AMES'  job  at  Treat's  carpenter-shop  intro- 
duced him  into  further  business  in  that 
Une.  The  winter  school,  however,  inter- 
vened, and  James  attended  it  without  the 
loss  of  a  single  day.  The  day  after  the  school  closed, 
Mr.  Treat  called. 

"I'm  after  James,"  said  he  to  Mrs.  Garfield.  *'I 
have  a  barn  to  build  for  Mr.  Boynton,  and  can  give 
him  a  job  before  his  farm  work  begins." 

''That  will   suit  him,"   replied   Mrs.  Garfield.     "I 
think  he  likes  that  kind  of  work  better  than  farming." 
Just  then  James  made  his  appearance. 
"Young  man,  I'm  after  you,"   said  Mr.   Treat  to 
him. 

"  For  what  ?  "  asked  James. 
"Another  job  of  work." 
"  Planing  boards  .^  " 
"No.     Better  than  that." 
"  What .? " 

"  Building  a  barn  for  Mr.  Boynton." 
"  I'd  like  that,"  said  James  ;  "  I  want  to  learn  to 
build  a  barn  myself." 

127 


128  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

**  You  can,  easily.     That's  not  much  of  a  job." 

"  WTien  do  you  want  me  ?  " 

"  Right  off,  —  to-morrow,  if  you  can." 

"To-morrow  it  is,  then." 

"  With  other  work  I  have  in  the  shop  I  can  keep 
you  at  it  until  farming  begins." 

"  That  will  just  suit  me.     Shall  I  work  by  the  day .? " 

**  Yes,  by  the  day,  if  you  will.  Til  give  you  not  less 
than  forty  cents  a  day,  nor  more  than  fifty,  according 
as  you  get  along  with  it." 

•*  I'll  be  satisfied  with  that,  and  will  be  on  hand  to- 
morrow morning,"  James  answered,  as  Mr.  Treat  was 
leaving. 

" '  Nothing  like  trying,*  mother,"  said  James,  after 
the  carpenter  was  gone,  repeating  her  old,  familiar 
saw.  ''  I  shouldn't  have  got  this  job  if  I  hadn't  tried 
for  one,  last  fall." 

" Very  likely  not,"  replied  his  mother;  "and  you 
would  not  have  had  this,  if  you  had  not  done  the  first 
one  so  well.  Nothing  like  doing  things  well ;  always 
remember  that." 

"  It's  almost  equal  to  trying,  isn't  it } "  added  James, 
roguishly. 

"  Perhaps  it  is  more  than  equal  to  it.  They  who  do 
their  work  well,  are  the  ones  who  get  work.  People 
don't  want  botchers  about." 

"  What  are  botchers  t     Blunderers  }  " 

"Those  who  don't  do  their  work  well  —  they  are 
botchers.  Your  father  used  to  say,  '-What's  worth 
doing  at  all,  is  worth  doing  well,'  and  he  was  about 
right.  Another  thing  he  used  to  say  was,  '  If  you  know 
a  thing,  know  it  certainly.'" 


BA  RN-B  UILDING.  1 29 


*'  I  don't  see  how  a  person  can  really  know  anything 
without  knowing  it  certainly,"  remarked  James.  *'If 
I  know  anything,  I  know  it." 

"  Sometimes  you  know  a  lesson  better  than  you  do 
at  other  times,  do  you  not?"  answered  his  mother. 

^'That  may  be;  but  if  I  don't  know  a  lesson  cer- 
tainly, I  don't  know  much  about  it,"  replied  James. 
"I  should  be  ashamed  not  to  know  a  lesson  certainly." 
"  I  hope  you  always  will  be,"  remarked  his  mother  ; 
"and  what  is  more,  I  hope  you  will  always  be  ashamed 
not  to  do  your  work  thoroughly." 

*'  I  mean  to  learn  how  to  frame  a  barn,"  said 
James. 

*'  I  should  think  you  might  learn  that  easy  enough," 
responded  Mrs.  Garfield.  "It's  true  I  don't  know 
much  about  it,  but  it  doesn't  appear  to  me  to  be  very 
difficult  to  learn  to  frame  a  barn." 

"I  know  that  I  can  learn  how,"  added  James. 
"  Mr.  Treat  will  give  you  a  good  chance  to  learn  how, 
I  think,  if  you  tell  him  what  you  want." 

"I  shall  do  that."  And  James  did  do  it.  As  soon 
as  he  commenced  work  the  next  day,  he  made  known 
his  wishes. 

*'Mr.  Treat,  I  want  to  learn  how  to  frame  a  barn," 
he  said.     "Can't  I  learn.?" 

"Most  too  much  of  a  youngster  for  that  business," 
answered  Mr.  Treat;  "but  you  can  have  the  chance. 
Just  keep  your  eyes  open  to  see  how  the  work  is  laid 
out,  and  it  is  easy  enough." 

"Well,  I  can  do  that;  my  eyes  are  usually  open  in 
the  daytime,"  said  James,  na'ively. 

"  And  you  must  see  with  your  brain  as  well  as  with 


I30  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

your  eyes,  if  you  would  learn,"  added  Mr.  Treat. 
**You  see  how  that  is,  don't  you?" 

"I  see." 

"  You  must  have  a  little  idea  of  the  plan  to  begin 
with,  though  ;"  and  Mr.  Treat  proceeded  to  exhibit  his 
plan  to  the  boy,  explaining  it  to  him  as  well  as  he  could. 
James  took  in  the  principal  idea  in  the  outset,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  assist  in  framing  the  building  with  increased 
intelligence.  An  examination  of  the  plan  showed  him 
that  it  was  more  necessary  for  his  "brains  to  see"  the 
why  and  wherefore  than  he  had  supposed.  But  Mr. 
Treat  was  deeply  interested  in  teaching  the  boy,  and 
so  kept  him  at  work  directly  under  his  eye.  He 
directed  his  attention  both  to  the  plan  and  the  frame, 
that  he  might  learn  the  real  use  of  the  former  to  the 
carpenter. 

"Can't  do  anything  without  a  plan,"  remarked  Mr. 
Treat  one  day,  to  James. 

**  How  is  it  about  milking.^"  asked  James  facetiously. 

"  It  is  true  in  milking,  my  boy.  By  plan  I  mean 
system,  and  you  can't  milk  without  system.  About 
such  a  time,  morning  and  night,  you  milk  the  cows, 
and  that  systematic  way  enables  you  to  accomplish 
other  work  more  successfully.  Then,  too,  the  cows, 
give  more  milk  by  milking  them  systematically." 

"I  didn't  know  that,"  said  James,  surprised  that 
cows  would  give  more  milk  by  systematic  milking. 

"It  is  true,  whether  you  knew  it  or  not,"  remarked 
Mr.  Treat.  "Even  the  Lord  would  make  a  failure  in 
running  this  world  without  system.  The  fact  is, 
Jimmy,  you  have  to  run  your  farm  on  God's  plan,  or  it 
won't  run  at  all.     If  you  should  plant  two  kernels  of 


BARN-BUILDING.  131 


corn  where  God  means  that  only  one  shall  grow,  you 
would  have  your  labor  for  your  pains.  You  can  raise 
no  corn  in  that  way.  You  could  raise  a  plenty  of  stalks, 
but  mighty  little  corn.  Hens  would  starve  to  death  in 
such  a  corn-field.  If  you  should  sow  two  bushels  of 
wheat  where  there  should  be  only  one  bushel,  on  the 
Lord's  plan,  your  biscuit  would  be  pretty  small  next 
winter." 

James   laughed   at    this   eccentric   way   of   putting 
things,  and,  at  the  same  time,  he  received  some  very 
valuable  ideas  from  the  sensible  carpenter,  who  con 
tinned,  very  much  in  the  same  vein  : 

*"A  place  for  everything,  and  everything  in  its 
place,'  is  an  old  adage,  and  just  as  true  as  Genesis. 
The  men  who  obey  this  rule  are  the  men  who  succeed ; 
and  the  men  who  never  mind  it  are  the  ones  who  zo 
to  smash.  I've  seen  that  over  and  over.  There's  no 
use  trying  to  run  things  on  the  line  of  disorder  and 
confusion ;  they'll  get  upset,  sure.  No  man  can 
amount  to  much  in  this  world  except  on  system.  Re- 
member that,  Jimmy,  and  you  will  come  out  all  right." 

"  You  mean  a  time  to  study,  and  a  time  to  work,  and 
a  time  to  play.'*"  inquired  James. 

**  That's  it ;  only  I  should  cut  the  time  to  play  pretty 
short,"  replied  Mr.  Treat.  "Not  much  time  to  play  in 
Ohio,  when  we  have  all  that  we  can  do  to  make  the 
ends  meet.  *A11  play  and  no  work  makes  Jack  a  dull 
boy,'  they  say,  and  I  guess  'tis  true.  But,  look  here, 
have  we  got  this  right.'*"  (springing  up  to  examine  his 
work).  ''  I  have  been  so  busy  talking  that  I  didn't  stop 
to  think  what  I  was  about.  All  talking  and  careless 
work  will  make  a  botch  of  it." 


132  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  work  was  found  all  right  and  in  a  good  state  of 
progress.  And  now  in  silence  the  labor  went  on  for 
an  hour  or  two,  James  minding  his  P's  and  Q's,  and  the 
carpenter  keeping  an  eye  on  his  plan  and  his  work. 

We  must  state  the  upshot  of  this  barn-building  in  a 
word,  as  space  is  dwindling  away.  The  barn  was  com- 
pleted according  to  the  contract,  and  without  a  break 
from  the  start.  Perhaps  James  could  not  have  framed 
a  barn  without  assistance  when  the  building  was  com- 
pleted, but  he  learned  a  great  deal  about  the  carpenter's 
trade  while  he  worked  upon  it.  Evening  after  evening 
he  studied  over  it  alone.  He  drew  a  plan  of  his  own, 
and  studied  it  hour  after  hour,  in  order  to  learn  how  to 
frame  a  barn.  With  the  same  persistent  efforts  by 
which  he  mastered  a  problem  in  arithmetic,  he  studied 
his  plan  of  framing  a  building  ;  and  although  he  did  not 
become  master  of  the  art,  he,  nevertheless,  approxi- 
mated to  it.  When  the  barn  was  completed  Mr.  Treat 
paid  James  fifty  cents  a  day,  amounting  to  nearly 
twenty  dollars,  saying,  — 

"You've  earned  it,  every  cent  of  it,  James." 

During  the  previous  winter,  James  made  great  pro- 
gress in  his  studies,  by  improving  the  long  evenings. 
He  had  learned  about  all  he  could  learn  in  the 
district  school,  although  he  continued  to  go  in  the 
winter  time.  In  some  things  he  was  more  advanced 
than  his  teacher,  and  often  put  questions  which  the 
teacher  could  not  answer.  He  mastered  Adams* 
Arithmetic  during  the  winter.  Lying  flat  on  the 
floor,  that  the  light  of  the  fire  might  shine  on  his 
book,  he  studied  arithmetic  every  evening  for  weeks, 
until  he  had  learned  all  there  was  to  learn  in  it,  and 


BARN-BUILDING.  1 33 

he  was  really  more  competent  to  teach  that  science 
than  the  man  who  presided  over  the  district  school. 
The  scholars  said  that  James  actually  performed  a 
problem,  one  day,  that  had  proved  too  much  for  their 
teacher,  much  to  the  mortification  of  the  latter. 

"  I  think  the  answer  in  the  book  must  be  wrong," 
remarked  the  teacher,  after  an  ineffectual  attempt  to 
solve  the  problem  for  a  class.  "  You  may  try  it, 
Henry,  and  when  you  are  through,  bring  me  the 
slate." 

Henry  Boynton  was  good  in  arithmetic,  but  he 
could  not  bring  an  answer  like  that  in  the  book, 
though  it  differed  from  the  teacher's  answer. 

"  I  can't  do  it,"  said  Henry.  "  My  answer  is  not 
like  that  in  the  book." 

*'  Bring  your  slate  to  me,"  said  the  teacher. 

Henry  carried  his  slate  to  the  teacher,  who  examined 
his  work  without  pointing  out  an  error,  but  added, 

"The  answer  in  the  book  must  be  wrong." 

Here  James  interrupted  by  saying,  — 

''I  did  it  once." 

**  And  did  you  get  the  same  answer  as  the  book } " 

**  Yes,  sir,  I  think  so." 

*'  Let  me  see  you  do  it,  and  then  bring  your  slate 
to  me." 

James  went  to  work  in  his  earnest  way,  and  solved 
the  problem  very  readily. 

"  I've  done  it,"  said  James,  carrying  his  slate  to  the 
teacher. 

The  latter  closely  examined  his  solution  of  the 
problem,  and  found  it  to  be  correct,  agreeing  exactly 
with  the  text-book. 


134  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  It  is  true,  James,  you  have  performed  it,"  said 
the  teacher,  with  evident  mortification,  which  the 
larger  scholars  enjoyed.  It  was  fun  for  them  to  have 
James  beat  the  master.  They  had  an  exalted  opinion 
of  James'  abilities,  and  now  he  became  their  oracle. 
A  boy  who  was  a  match  for  the  master  was  a  prodigy 
in  their  view.  They  looked  up  to  him  with  a  kind  of 
reverence,  though  he  was  their  companion. 

We  must  not  forget  to  mention  one  book  that  he 
read  during  that  winter,  *'  Robinson  Crusoe."  We 
know  not  how  it  came  into  his  hands,  but  he  obtained 
it  in  some  way,  and  read  it  twice  through.  Flat  on 
his  face  before  the  blazing  fire,  he  read  the  volume 
hour  after  hour,  and  wondered  over  it.  He  was  very 
fond  of  reading  about  adventures  ;  but  this  book  sur- 
passed anything  of  the  kind  he  had  ever  read. 

"  I  wish  this  book  belonged  to  me,"  he  said  to  his 
mother,  one  day. 

*'  If  you  read  it  much  more,  its  contents  will  belong 
to  you,"  his  mother  replied. 

*'  I  wish  I  owned  it,  then,"  added  James. 

"  I  wish  you  did,  too,"  responded  his  mother. 
"  What  is  there  about  it  that  interests  you  so  much, 
my  son  } " 

"  It's  splendid,"  was  James'  answer.  "  I  never 
read  such  an  interesting  book.  I  could  read  it  ten 
times  over,  and  not  get  tired  of  it.  I  wonder  if  there 
are  any  more  books  like  it." 

"  I  suppose  there  are,  if  we  knew  where  to  find 
them,"  Mrs.  Garfield  answered. 

•*  I'd  be  willing  to  hunt  one  while  for  them,"  said 
James. 


BA  RN-B  UILDING.  1 3  5 

The  impression  made  by  that  book  upon  his  mind 
was  never  effaced.  It  not  only  sharpened  his  appetite 
yet  more  for  reading,  if  that  were  possible,  but  it  set 
him  to  inquiring  more  than  ever  concerning  books 
which  he  had  never  seen. 

Some  time  after  this,  his  cousin,  William  Boynton, 
came  into  possession  of  a  copy  of  Josephus,  and  he 
shared  the  pleasure  of  reading  it  with  James.  They 
read  it,  by  the  hour,  together,  and  they  read  it  sep- 
arately, too,  over  and  over.  When  the  winter  school 
opened,  the  boys  asked  the  teacher  for  the  privilege 
of  reading  it  in  the  class,  for  their  reading  lesson  ;  and 
the  privilege  was  granted.  All  winter  they  read  it  in 
school,  in  addition  to  the  hours  they  read  it  out  of  school. 
When  James  was  through  with  that  volume,  and  ready 
to  take  up  another,  he  could  repeat  pages  of  it. 

The  following  summer  two  incidents  occurred  that 
illustrate  the  character  of  James  at  that  time.  The 
first  was  a  proposition  from  a  companion,  whose  name 
we  do  not  know,  but  whom  we  will  call  David,  to  visit 
a  mutual  acquaintance  in  a  distant  part  of  the  town- 
ship, on  the  Sabbath. 

**  Not  on  Sunday,"  said  James. 

*'Why.?" 

**  Because  it  is  not  right." 

**  If  you  and  I  do  nothing  worse  than  that,  Jim,  we 
shall  be  pretty  good  fellows." 

"  We  should  not  be  any  better,  certainly,  for  doing 
that." 

"  Nor  any  worse,  in  my  opinion,"  rejoined  David. 

*'My  mother  would  not  consent  to  it,"  continued 
James. 


136  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  don't  know  whether  mine  would,  and  I  don't 
care ;  I  shan't  ask  her,"  said  David. 

**  I  never  should  go  anywhere  against  my  mother's 
advice,"  continued  James.  "  I  know  what  she  thinks 
of  the  Sabbath,  and  I  respect  her  feelings.  I  shan't 
go  on  Sunday." 

"  And  you  can't  go  on  any  other  day,  because  you 
have  so  much  to  do,"  added  David  ;  **  so  we  must  give 
up  going  at  all,  for  all  that  I  see." 

"  Rather  than  go  on  Sunday,  I  shall  not  go  at  all," 
was  James'  emphatic  reply.  *'  But  it  is  not  certain 
that  we  can  never  go  on  another  day.     Wait  and  see." 

*'  I  guess  it  will  be  wait,''  answered  David,  sarcasti- 
cally, "and  keep  waiting,  and  take  it  out  in  waiting."- 

"Well,  I  shall  wait  a  good  while  before  I  shall  go 
on  Sunday,"  added  James.  *'If  I  had  no  scruples  of 
my  own  about  it,  I  could  take  no  comfort,  feeling  that 
I  went  against  mother's  wishes." 

This  emphatic  refusal  ended  the  matter.  It  was  a 
fair  illustration  of  the  frank  and  open  way  that  James 
had  of  doing  things.  There  was  no  artifice  about  him, 
no  double-dealing  or  deceitfulness.  He  would  not 
consent  to  wrong-doing  even  to  please  his  best  friend. 
He  never  resorted  to  subterfuges  to  excuse  himself 
when  tempted  to  do  wrong.  He  spoke  right  out 
plainly  and  bluntly,  as  if  it  were  the  only  way  to 
speak.  Not  that  he  seemed  to  have  a  higher  standard 
of  morality  than  others,  but  it  was  his  nature  to  be 
frank  and  honest  with  every  one,  and  he  wanted 
others  to  be  so  towards  him.  Companions  always 
knew  just  where  to  find  him  at  all  times.  They 
knew  that  he  could  not  be  counted  upon  for  question- 


BA  RN-B  UILDING.  1 3  7 

able  practices  at  all.  He  was  full  of  life,  and  enjoyed 
a  good  time  as  much  as  any  boy  in  town,  ready  for  a 
frolic  at  all  suitable  times,  social,  witty,  and  sharp ; 
but  he  could  not  be  persuaded  or  cajoled  into  wrong- 
doing.    He  showed  his  colors  at  once. 

The  other  incident  illustrates  his  kindness  to  ani- 
mals. The  old  cat  and  James  were  particular  friends, 
and  appeared  to  understand  each  other  perfectly.  He 
was  in  the  garden  with  James,  one  day,  in  whose  so- 
ciety he  seemed  to  find  real  pleasure.  The  same  boy 
we  have  spoken  of,  David,  came  along,  and  observing 
the  cat,  began  pelting  him  with  stones,  frightening 
puss  so  that  he  fled  to  the  house.  David  might  as 
well  have  pelted  James  with  stones.  Stone  his  cat, 
and  he  was  stoned. 

"That's  outrageous,"  exclaimed  James. 

"  Only  a  cat,"  answered  David. 

*'Only  cruelty^  that  will  stone  a  cat,"  responded 
James. 

*' I  didn't  think  it  was  your  cat." 

"  It  don't  make  any  difference  whose  cat  it  is  ;  a 
cat  is  a  cat." 

"  And  a  rat  is  a  rat,"  added  David,  designing  to 
make  fun  of  the  affair. 

"  I  can't  bear  to  see  an  animal  abused,"  continued 
James. 

''  I  didn't  hit  him,"  pleaded  David. 

"No  thanks  to  you;  you  meant  to  hit  him.  You 
frightened  him  half  out  of  his  wits." 

"  He  hasn't  any  wits  to  be  frightened  out  of,"  re- 
torted David.     "Nothing  but  a  cat." 

"  And  so  you  might  abuse  any  animal  in  the  world. 


13S  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

and  say,  *  Nothing  but  a  dog  ; '  *  Nothing  but  a  horse  ; ' 
*  Nothing  but  an  ox.'  I  wouldn't  abuse  any  crea- 
ture so." 

"  I  don't  think  you  would,  Jim.  You  are  too  ten- 
der-hearted for  that.  A  mouse  could  play  on  your 
chin  safely,  if  he  only  knew  you." 

"  He  wouldn't  play  on  yours,  Dave,  if  he  knew 
youy  that's  certain.  It  would  be  the  most  dangerous 
place  he  could  find." 

''Well,  Jim,  ask  pardon  of  your  cat  for  me,  will 
you !  I'm  sorry  that  I  offended  his  majesty.  I'll 
befriend  cats  forever,  now."  And  David  went  on  his 
way,  leaving  James  to  his  reflections. 

This  was  another  good  trait  of  James',  kindness  to 
animals.  He  was  as  kind  to  them  as  he  was  to  human 
beings.  He  could  see  no  reason  for  abusing  any 
creature,  however  insignificant.  Abuse  was  cruelty, 
in  his  view. 

Still  another  incident  may  be  rehearsed  here  as 
well  as  any  place.  James  was  a  boy  of  spirit,  though 
he  was  neither  pugnacious  nor  malicious.  He  wanted 
to  see  the  rights  of  the  smallest  boy  respected,  and  he 
would  contend  for  it  if  necessary.  In  school  there 
was  a  fatherless  boy  like  himself,  and  no  big  brother 
to  take  his  part.  Some  of  the  larger  boys  were  in  the 
habit  of  teasing  him,  and  James  declared  that  it 
should  stop.  James  was  older  than  the  boy,  though 
not  as  old  as  the  boys  who  teased  him. 

"  It's  too  bad,"  exclaimed  James;  "and  if  you  tease 
him  any  more  you  tease  me." 

"Tease  you  it  is,  then,"  answered  one  of  the  boys, 
with  a  motion  and  remark  indicating  the  attempt. 


BARN-BUILDING.  1 39 

**Just  as  you  like,"  continued  James.  "You  can 
operate  on  me,  but  you  shan't  on  that  little  fellow 
unless  you  are  stronger  than  I  am.  Take  boys  of 
your  size,  or  none." 

''You  are  mightily  taken  with  that  little  chap," 
said  another  boy ;  "  /  don't  see  anything  so  very  in- 
teresting about  him." 

"  Well,  I  do  ;  he  has  neither  father  nor  big  brother, 
and  I'll  stand  in  the  place  of  both  to  him,  in  this 
school." 

''  Daddy  Jim  and  Brother  Jim  it  is,  then,"  ex- 
claimed a  large  boy,  aiming  to  make  all  the  fun  of  it 
possible. 

"Yes,  anything  you  please,  so  long  as  you  don't 
run  on  him,"  answered  James,  pleasantly.  "  I  can 
stand  it  as  long  as  you  can." 

And  thus  he  shamed  the  teasing  of  the  little  fellow 
out  of  the  large  boys,  exhibiting  both  courage  and 
principle  in  the  defence  of  the  helpless  lad.  Taking 
advantage  of  the  weak,  poor,  and  friendless,  appealed 
to  his  higher  and  better  nature,  as  it  ever  did. 

November  came,  and  the  harvesting  was  done.  The 
carpenter  came,  also,  saying, 

"  Another  barn,  James.     Want  another  job  ?  " 

"  Yes,  aching  for  one,"  James  replied. 

"  All  ready  for  you  ;  can  you  begin  right  off  ?  " 

"  To-morrow,  if  you  want." 

"  You  are  a  minute-man,  I  see." 

"I  s'pose  I  am,  though  I  don't  know  what  that  is." 

"  Men,  in  the  Revolution,  who  stood  ready  to  de- 
fend their  country  at  a  moment's  warning,  were 
minute-men." 


I40  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Then,  I'm  a  minute-man;  I'm  ready  any  minute 
for  building  a  barn." 

"  I  want  to  put  this  one  through  in  a  hurry." 

"Whose  is  it  ?  " 

"  Bernard's,  yonder." 

"  Oh,  over  there  } " 

It  was  further  for  James  to  travel  than  the  other 
barn  was  ;  but  it  was  all  the  same  to  him. 

"  It's  goin'  to  be  a  larger  barn." 

"Much  larger.?" 

"No;  just  enough  to  call  it  larger,  that's  all.  See 
you  to-morrow  morning."  And  Mr.  Treat  hastened 
back,  adding,  as  he  turned  to  go,  "  same  pay  as  be- 
fore." 

The  details  must  be  omitted.  The  building  of  this 
barn  provided  James  with  additional  facilities  for  learn- 
ing how  to  frame  a  building ;  and  he  improved  the  op- 
portunity. In  many  things  he  was  able  to  go  ahead 
without  depending  upon  his  employer,  the  progress 
which  he  made  in  building  the  first  barn  being  of 
great  service  to  him  in  building  the  second. 

"  Not  a  word  of  fault  to  find  with  you,  James,"  re- 
marked his  employer,  when  the  barn  was  completed. 
"  Work  comes  easy  to  you,  and  you  earn  your  money." 

"  I  mean  to  know  how  to  frame  a  barn,  yet,"  an- 
swered James. 

"  Then  you  don't  think  you  can  quite  do  it,  yet } " 

"  Hardly,"  said  James. 

"  Pluck  and  brains  will  accomplish  it,  and  you  have 
both,"  added  Mr.  Treat,  intending  to  pay  his  young 
employ^"  a  fine  compliment. 

"  I'll   give   you  another  chance  at   it  one   of  these 


BA  RN'B  UILDING.  1 4 1 

days,"  Mr.  Treat  added.  *'  I  owe  you  fifteen  dollars, 
just."  And  he  counted  out  the  money,  and  passed  it 
to  the  happy  boy. 

"  There !  the  highest  price  I  said,  fifty  cents  a  day ; 
and  I'm  well  satisfied,  too,"  Mr.  Treat  continued. 

James  had  just  passed  his  thirteenth  birthday,  and 
he  was  developing  rapidly  into  a  stalwart  boy  for  one 
of  his  age.  The  winter  school  opened,  and  he  attended 
as  usual,  although  he  had  about  all  there  was  in  the 
text-books  at  his  tongue's  end.  He  could  repeat  a 
good  part  of  his  reading-book,  and  perform  the  prob- 
lems in  arithmetic  with  his  eyes  shut ;  yet  it  was  ex- 
cellent discipline  to  go  over  them  again. 

That  winter  he  found  somewhere  another  volume 
to  read,  that  greatly  interested  him.  It  was  next  to 
"  Robinson  Crusoe,"  in  his  estimation.  The  book  was 
*' Alonzo  and  Melissa,"  well  suited  to  fascinate  a  boy 
like  him.  Once  reading  did  not  satisfy  him.  There 
were  two  books  now  that  towered  above  all  the  books 
he  ever  read,  and  he  wondered  if  there  were  any  more 
like  them,  if  so,  where }  On  the  whole  it  was  a  profit- 
able winter  to  him  ;  and  he  began  to  feel  that  he  could 
do  better  for  his  mother  than  to  run  her  little  farm. 
Just  before  the  close  of  school,  he  said  to  his  mother, 
''I've  been  thinking  that  I  can  do  better  for  you 
than  to  stay  on  the  farm.  I  could  get  twelve  dollars 
a  month  to  go  out  to  work." 

"  Perhaps  so,"  was  all  his  mother  said. 

**  You  could  keep  a  cow,  hire  a  man  to  plant  what 
is  necessary,  and  take  care  of  it  ;  and  it  wouldn't  cost 
a  quarter  as  much  as  I  can  earn,"  James  continued. 

"And  it  would  be  four  times  as  hard  for  you,"  re- 


142  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

sponded  Mrs.  Garfield.  "It's  better  for  a  boy  like 
you  to  go  to  school  while  he  can,  and  not  labor  all  the 
time.     Boys  should  not  work  too  hard." 

"  I  knew  what  you'd  say ;  I've  learned  that  by 
heart,"  replied  James.  "  But  I  was  never  hurt  by 
work  yet,  and  I  never  expect  to  be." 

"  Nevertheless,  you  may  be,"  responded  his  mother. 

"  A  fellow  may  as  well  be  earning  something  when 
he  can  ;  there's  need  enough  of  it  in  this  part  of  the 
world,"  added  James. 

"■  In  this  part  of  the  world  !  "  repeated  his  mother  ; 
"you  don't  seem  to  have  so  high  an  opinion  of  this 
part  of  the  country  as  you  might.  What's  the  trouble 
with  it.?" 

"  No  trouble  as  I  know,  only  a  fellow  has  a  better 
chance  in  some  other  places." 

"  Better  chance  for  what } "  asked  his  mother. 

"  To  get  a  living,  or  make  a  man,  or  most  anything," 
answered  James. 

"There's  a  better  chance  to  get  an  education  in 
some  other  places,  I  admit ;  and  I  hope  you  will  en- 
joy it  some  day,"  continued  Mrs.  Garfield. 

James  knew  much  about  the  world,  now.  All  that 
Morse's  Geography  could  teach  him  about  his  own  and 
other  countries  he  knew  thoroughly.  He  had  picked 
up  much  information,  too,  about  New  England  and 
the  State  of  New  York  ;  and  he  understood  very  well 
that  the  opportunities  for  a  boy  to  earn  money,  study, 
and  to  rise  in  the  world,  were  greater  in  many  other 
parts  of  the  country.  It  was  easy  to  discover  the 
aspirations  of  a  noble  spirit  in  the  boy.  He  was 
beginning  to  feel  cramped  and  confined  on  the  little 


BARN-BUILDING.  143 

farm.  His  soul  was  outgrowing  its  sphere  of  child- 
hood, and  was  waiting  to  plume  its  wings  for  higher 
flights.  The  young  eagle  was  getting  ready  to  leave 
the  nest  and  soar. 

His  mother  did  not  look  with  favor  upon  the  boy's 
suggestions.  James  must  be  content  to  live  upon  the 
farm  for  a  while.  Providence  would  open  the  way 
out  into  the  broad  world  at  the  right  time.  "  Wait 
for  Providence." 

So  James  suppressed  ambitious  desires,  and  con- 
tented himself  to  remain  at  home,  running  the  farm, 
working  out  by  the  day  for  the  farmers,  as  opportunity 
offered,  as  well  as  working  at  barn-building.  Before 
he  was  fifteen  years  old,  Mr.  Treat  gave  him  an  oppor- 
tunity to  work  on  three  more  barns,  and  one  shed,  so 
that  he  did  learn  how  to  frame  a  barn,  and  was  really 
a  better  carpenter,  at  fifteen  years  of  age,  than  some 
of  the  carpenters  in  that  region  who  claimed  to  have 
learned  the  trade.  Being  able  to  turn  his  hand  to 
any  kind  of  labor,  he  found  a  plenty  to  do,  leaving 
him  but  limited  time  for  play. 

James  was  as  fond  of  sports  as  any  other  boy ;  and 
his  genial  nature,  ready  wit,  and  gentlemanly  bearing 
united  to  make  him  popular  with  pleasure-seekers. 
Without  him  they  had  dull  times.  His  presence  added 
a  charm  to  the  social  circle. 

As  already  intimated,  he  had  grown  into  a  large, 
strong  boy ;  as  Mr.  Treat  sometimes  said,  "  as  strong 
as  an  ox."  He  could  lift  as  much  as  the  strongest 
man  in  the  vicinity,  although  he  was  not  agile.  He 
was  too  large  and  heavy  to  be  an  expert  at  jumping 
or  running  ;  but  his  practical  wisdom  was  as  manifest 


144  LOG-CABIX  TO    WHITE  HOUSE, 

in  sports  as  it  was  in  works.  He  was  such  after  he 
had  passed  his  fourteenth  birthday,  —  more  advanced 
and  efficient  than  most  youths  of  that  day  at  eigh- 
teen. 

We  shall  close  this  chapter  with  a  single  incident, 
that  occurred  in  the  winter  after  James'  fourteenth 
birthday. 

"  Jim,  will  you  go  to  Cleveland  with  me,  to- 
morrow } "  inquired  Edwin  Mapes  of  James,  as  he 
called  at  Mrs.  Garfield's  in  the  evening.  "I'm  going 
for  father." 

*'  I  don't  know ;  perhaps  I  will,"  replied  James,  in  a 
hesitating  manner,  as  if  it  were  doubtful. 

"  Don't  know }  Who  does  know,  if  you  don't } 
Come,  go ;  I  want  company,"  pleaded  Edwin. 

"  You'll  have  a  cold  ride,"  suggested  James. 

"Not  very  cold  if  yoii  go,"  responded  Edwin. 
"  You  and  I  can  keep  warm  anywhere  in  Ohio.  Say 
yes,  and  I'll  be  off." 

"  Be  off  }  What's  your  hurry  }  Sit  down,  and  I 
will  tell  you  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour,"  responded 
James,  teasingly. 

Edwin  took  a  seat,  whereupon  James  added,  — 

"  Yes,  I'll  go,  and  be  glad  to ;  start  as  early  as  you 
please." 

"  I  shan't  start  very  early  ;  no  particular  need  of  it. 
Going  over  and  back,  without  stopping  long,"  added 
Edwin. 

On  the  following  day,  the  two  boys  drove  to  Cleve- 
land together.  Mr.  Mapes'  horse  was  a  capital 
roadster,  and  Edwin  understood  well  how  to  drive 
him,   and  James  could  ride  as  fast  as   Edwin  could 


BARN-BUILDING.  1 45 

drive,  without  raising  a  serious  objection.  So  their 
trip  was  quick,  and  devoid  of  monotony. 

On  their  return,  a  rough,  bloated  fellow  rode  up 
behind  them,  and  shouted,  with  a  volley  of  oaths, — 

*'  Out  of  the  way,  boys,  I'm  in  a  hurry  ;  "  and  suiting 
his  motions  to  the  word,  he  turned  out  to  drive  by 
them. 

"  No,  you  don't,"  shouted  Edwin,  as  he  drew  the 
reins  tight,  and  gave  his  horse  a  cut  with  the  whip ; 
and,  almost  side  by  side,  the  two  teams  flew  along  the 
road  for  half  a  mile,  the  whiskey-soaked  traveller 
pouring  out  oaths  at  the  boys  with  every  blow  of  his 
whip. 

"  Come  on,"  shouted  Edwin  to  the  fellow,  at  the 
same  tim^  beckoning  with  his  hand  to  him  when  he 
had  left  him  ten  or  fifteen  rods  in  the  rear.  **  Come 
on  !  come  on  !  " 

They  were  too  far  in  advance  to  hear  his  voice,  but 
they  could  see  the  fellow's  very  expressive  gesticula- 
tions with  his  fist.  James  enjoyed  the  victory  hugely, 
and  shook  his  sides  with  laughter. 

**  He  told  us  to  get  out  of  the  vv^ay,  and  we  have," 
was  about  all  the  remark  that  James  made  during  the 
contest. 

They  drove  on  at  a  very  good  pace  three  or  four 
miles,  when  they  came  up  to  a  little  country  inn,  with 
which  both  of  them  were  familiar. 

"  Let's  go  in  and  get  warm,"  proposed  James  ;  "my 
feet  are  cold  as  ice." 

"Agreed,"  answered  Edwin;  and  turned  the  horse 
into  the  shed.  In  less  than  five  minutes  they  were 
standing  before  the  landlord's  fire.     In  less  than  five 


14^  LOG-CABLV  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

minutes  more,  the  enraged  man  who  tried  to  run  by 
them  drove  up,  and  entered. 

"  I've  a  good  will  to  thrash  you  boys,"  he  shouted 
at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

The  boys  were  very  much  surprised  to  see  him  in 
such  a  passion. 

*'  What  are  you  going  to  thrash  us  for } "  answered 
Edwin. 

"  Thrash  you  for,  you  insulting  scamps }  I'll  let 
you  know,"  and  he  shook  his  fist  in  the  liveliest 
manner,  at  the  same  time  belching  forth  a  volley 
of  oaths,  that  we  omit,  since  they  did  not  embellish 
his  language,  though  they  contributed  some  force 
to  it. 

"  Why  didn't  you  let  me  go  by,  you  young  rascals  }  " 
he  continued. 

"  You  had  plenty  of  room  to  pass  ;  as  much  room 
as  we  had,  and  the  same  right  to  the  road,"  replied 
James,  coolly. 

"But  I  couldn't,"  the  fellow  bellowed;  "you  good- 
for-nothing  brats." 

"  That's  not  our  fault,"  returned  James.  "  Better 
blame  your  horse." 

The  latter  sentence  had  a  ring  of  sarcasm  in  it, 
especially  as  the  boys  laughed  when  it  was  spoken  ; 
and  the  brutal  man  stormed  again,  and  swore  he 
would  thrash  them. 

"  Better  thrash  77ie  first,"  said  James,  straightening 
himself  up  to  his  full  height,  and  appearing  more  like 
a  strong  man  than  a  boy  of  fourteen  years.  The  bully 
looked  at  him  for  a  moment,  as  if  querying  whether 
his  antagonist  was  not  a  man,  after  all. 


BARN-BUILDING.  I47 

"  Why  take  you  first  ? "  he  said,  apparently  some- 
what cowed. 

"  Because  you  will  never  want  to  thrash  him  after- 
wards," answered  James,  in  the  most  thundering  voice 
he  could  roll  out.  The  bully  turned  upon  his  heels, 
jumped  into  his  carriage,  and  drove  on. 

James  and  Edwin  were  soon  on  their  way  home, 
their  conversation  being  upon  the  unusual  experience 
of  the  last  hour. 

"  I  was  glad  that  you  scared  him  so,"  remarked 
Edwin.     "He  was  a  regular  coward." 

"  I  knew  he  was  a  coward  when  we  were  talking 
with  him,"  James  replied.  "  If  I  hadn't,  I  should 
have  kept  still.  I  don't  like  to  get  into  trouble  with 
anybody." 

*'I  thought  you  were  terribly  courageous,  for  you," 
remarked  Edwin.  "  You  roared  at  him  like  thunder. 
Your  big  voice  is  enough  to  frighten  any  cozvardy 

"  I  hope  that  it  will  never  frighten  anybody  else," 
was  the  only  reply  that  James  made. 

James  was  in  no  sense  a  bully,  nor  was  he  given 
to  brag.  There  was  no  boy  in  Orange  township 
more  gentlemanly  and  considerate  than  he ;  none 
more  averse  to  pugilistic  contests.  At  the  same 
time,  he  would  stand  up  for  his  rights,  and  the  rights 
of  others.  He  would  defend  his  companions,  too, 
with  great  courage,  if  they  were  in  the  right.  If 
they  were  wrong,  he  would  not  defend  them  at  all ; 
and  he  would  frankly  state  his  reason.  These  facts 
sufficiently  explain  his  encounter  with  the  bully  at  the 
hotel. 


CHAPTER   X. 

A  BL  AC  K-S  ALTER. 

I  HE  following  colloquy  will  explain  a  matter 
that  must  not  be  omitted. 

"  I  have  come  again  for  James,"  said  Mr. 
Smith,  entering  Mrs.  Garfield's  cottage. 
"  Can't  get  along  without  him,  when  we  weed  the 
peppermint." 

"  Well,  James  will  be  glad  to  help  you  if  he  can, 
but  he  is  pretty  busy  now  on  the  farm,"  answered 
Mrs.  Garfield. 

"  Perhaps  he  can  squeeze  out  two  or  three  days 
now,  and  that  will  help  me  through,"  continued 
Mr.  Smith.  *'  I  shall  have  twenty  boys  in  the 
gang." 

**  I  should  think  that  was  enough  without  James," 
remarked  Mrs.  Garfield. 

"  It's  altogether  too  many  if  I  dont  have  him,** 
replied  Mr.  Smith.  *'  You  see,  the  boys  do  as  well 
again  when  James  leads  them.  Somehow  he  has 
wonderful  influence  over  them." 

"  I  didn't  know  that,"  remarked  Mrs.  Garfield. 
"  Well,  it's  true  :  and  if  you  should  see  him  leading 
off,  and  interesting  them  by  stories,  anecdotes,  and 
148 


A   BLACK-SALTER.  1 49 

fun,  you'd  be  surprised.  He  is  a  fast  worker,  and  all 
the  boys  put  in  and  work  as  hard  as  they  can  to  keep 
up,  that  they  may  hear  his  stories.  The  boys  think 
the  world  of  him." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  such  good  things  of  him,"  re- 
marked Mrs.  Garfield.  *'  I'm  willing  that  he  should 
help  you  if  he  can." 

"  I  shouldn't  mind  paying  him  something  extra  if 
he  will  come,"  Mr.  Smith  continued.  "  I  can  afford 
to  do  that.  Each  boy  does  more  work,  and  where 
there's  twenty  of  them,  it's  considerable  in  my 
pocket." 

"  Well,  you  can  find  James,  he  is  somewhere  on  the 
farm  ;  and  I'm  willing  he  should  go  if  you  can  fix  it 
with  him,"  said  Mrs.  Garfield. 

Mr.  Smith  went  in  search  of  James,  and  found  him 
hard  at  work  in  the  field.  Making  known  his  errand, 
James  could  not  see  how  it  was  possible  for  him  to 
go,  at  least  for  a  week.  But  Mr.  Smith  soon  removed 
his  objections,  and  arranged  for  him  to  come  the  next 
day. 

This  Mr.  Smith  was  a  farmer,  and  his  land,  on  the 
Chagrin  Flats,  was  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  pep- 
permint, which  he  raised  for  the  market  in  large 
quantities.  It  was  necessary  to  keep  it  thoroughly 
weeded,  and  for  this  purpose  he  employed  a  gang  of 
boys  at  different  times  in  the  season.  James  had 
served  him  more  than  once  in  that  work,  and  the 
shrewd  farmer  had  noticed  that  the  gang  would  try 
to  keep  up  with  James,  so  as  to  hear  his  stories  and 
interesting  conversation.  James  was  a  capital  story- 
teller, and  all  that  he  ever  read  or  studied  was  in  his 


ISO  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

head.  His  remarkable  memory  served  him  a  good 
purpose  in  company,  whether  in  the  field  of  pepper- 
mint, or  elsewhere.  He  could  recall  almost  any 
anecdote  that  he  ever  heard,  and  could  relate  what- 
ever he  had  learned  about  his  own  or  other  countries 
from  Morse's  Geography.  Add  to  this  his  jovial 
nature,  his  conversational  powers,  and  his  singular 
tact,  and  we  can  readily  understand  how  he  could 
"  lead  the  gang." 

So  James  became  general  of  the  peppermint 
brigade  for  a  few  days,  to  accorrimodate  Mr.  Smith, 
and  again  his  precocity  and  large  acquisitions  of 
knowledge  enabled  him  to  lead  them  to  victory  over 
the  weeds.  The  weeds  melted  away  before  their 
triumphant  march,  as  the  rebels  disappeared  before 
the  Ohio  Forty-second  Regiment,  sixteen  years  after- 
wards. 

We  said  that  James  assisted  Mr.  Treat  to  build  a 
shed,  in  addition  to  the  several  barns.  The  shed 
was  the  last  building  on  which  he  worked  for  Mr. 
Treat,  and  it  was  about  ten  miles  from  home,  near 
Cleveland.  It  was  an  addition  to  quite  a  large  pot- 
ashery,  the  largest  in  all  that  region.  A  pot-ashery 
was  an  establishment  containing  vats  for  leeching 
ashes,  and  large  kettles  for  boiling  the  lye,  reducing 
it  to  potash,  which,  in  its  crude  state,  was  called 
'•black-.salts."  The  manufacturer  of  the  article  was 
called  a  "black-saltcr."  The  farmers  in  the  region, 
when  they  cleared  land,  drew  the  logs  and  branches 
of  trees  together  into  huge  piles,  and  burned  them, 
for  the  ashes  they  could  collect  therefrom,  which  they 
sold  to  the  black-salters. 


A    BLACK-SALTER.  151 


The  black-salter  for  whom  Mr.  Treat  built  the  shed, 
took  a  great  fancy  to  James.  It  was  rather  singular 
that  he  did  ;  for  he  was  a  rough,  uncultivated  man 
himself.  Yet  the  politeness,  tact,  and  brightness  of 
James  captivated  the  old  man.  Before  the  shed  was 
completed  he  resolved  that  he  would  have  that  uncom- 
mon boy  in  his  employ,  if  possible.  One  day  he  took 
James  aside,  and  said  to  him, 

"  How'd  yer  like  to  come  and  work  for  me.'' " 

James  was  just  fifteen  years  old,  at  that  time.  The 
question  was  unexpected  to  James,  and  he  hesitated. 

"I  want  jist  sich  a  hand  as  yer  are  in  my  business," 
the  Salter,  whose  name  was  Barton,  continued.  '*I 
reckon  yer  can  figger  'nough  for  me." 

''  I  don't  know  about  it,"  finally  James  replied  ;  "  it 
is  something  I  have  not  thought  about.  When  do  you 
want  me }'' 

"Jist  as  soon  as  yer  kin  ;  yer  kin't  come  ter  quick." 

"■  I  couldn't  agree  to  come  until  I  have  seen  my 
mother  about  it,  any  way,"  continued  James.  "Per- 
haps she  will  object." 

"  That's  the  sorter  boy  I  'sposed  yer  was,  to  mind 
yer  mother.-    I  like  yer  all  the  better  for  that." 

"How  long  will  you  want  me.-'"  inquired  James. 

"Jist  as  long  as  yer'll  stay;  as  long  as  yer  live, 
maybe." 

"  How  much  will  you  pay  me  .-* " 

"  I'll  give  yer  fourteen  dollars  a  month,  and  that's 
two  dollars  extra  pay."  By  this  Barton  meant  that  he 
would  pay  him  two  dollars  a  month  more  than  he  was 
wont  to  pay.  The  offer  was  proof  that  he  was  greatly 
pleased  with  James. 


152  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


"  I  will  consult  my  mother  about  it  as  soon  as  I  go 
home,  and  let  you  know,"  said  James.  He  would  not 
go  home  until  the  shed  was  completed.  He  boarded 
with  Barton.  But  the  shed  was  almost  finished ;  two 
days  more  would  complete  it. 

"  How  shall  I  know  yer'll  come  V  said  Barton,  when 
the  shed  was  done,  and  James  was  about  returning 
home. 

"  If  mother  is  willing  I  should  engage,  I  will  come 
next  Monday.  If  you  don't  see  me  next  Monday  you 
may  know  that  I  shall  not  come." 

"  That's  bisniss,"  Barton  replied.  "  Tell  yer  mother 
I  kin  do  the  right  thing  by  yer." 

It  was  a  rare  offer  to  a  boy  fifteen  years  old  — 
fourteen  dollars  a  month.  James  regarded  it  in  that 
light.  And  then,  it  was  constant  work  as  long  as  he 
pleased  to  continue ;  that  was  a  great  consideration. 
One  hundred  and  sixty-eight  dollars  a  year!  The 
thought  of  so  much  pay  elated  him  very  much. 

**  I  have  a  chance  to  go  right  to  work,  mother,  and 
work  as  many  months  as  I  please,  at  fourteen  dollars 
a  month,"  said  James,  as  soon  as  he  reached  home. 

**  Where,"  inquired  his  mother,  with  an  air  of  sur- 
prise. 

"For  Mr.  Barton,  the  black-salter." 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  the  right  sort  of  business  for 
you,  James,"  replied  his  mother. 

"  It's  the  right  sort  of  pay,  though,"  James  answered. 
**  But  why  is  it  not  a  good  business  for  mc,  mother } " 

"Because  a  rough  class  of  men  carry  on  the  busi- 
ness, and  you  will  be  exposed  to  many  evils,"  his 
mother  said. 


A   BLACK-SALTER.  1 53 

**  Exposed  to  evils  enough  anywhere,"  remarked 
James.  "  But  I  don't  propose  to  attend  to  the  evils,  but 
to  my  work." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  that,  my  son.  Your  intentions 
are  good  enough  ;  but  you  may  be  enticed  away,  for 
all  that." 

'*  I  must  be  pretty  weak,  if  that's  the  case." 

"  We  are  all  weaker  than  we  think  we  are.  *  Let 
him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall' 
We  all  have  reason  to  adopt  that  advice." 

**  Then  you  won't  give  your  consent  for  me  to  go.-*" 
James  said,  inquiringly. 

*'I  don't  say  that." 

''What  do  you  say  then.?" 

"  I  say  that  you  had  better  consider  the  matter  well, 
before  you  take  so  important  a  step." 

"  Can't  think  of  it  a  great  while,  for  I  have  prom- 
ised to  begin  work  for  him  next  Monday,  if  I  begin  at 
all." 

**  As  soon  as  that .?" 

"  Yes  ;  and  it  looks  to  me  as  if  the  time  had  come 
for  me  to  give  up  the  farm,  that  I  may  earn  more  for 
you." 

"  What  did  Mr.  Treat  say  about  it  >  " 

"  He  said  nothing  about  it,  because  he  knew  noth- 
ing about  it.     I  didn't  tell  him  about  it." 

"•  I  suppose  you  must  go  out  into  the  world  some 
time,  and  perhaps  now  is  the  time." 

**  You  told  me,  once,  to  wait  for  Providence  to  open 
the  door,"  continued  James  ;  ''  and  if  Providence  didn't 
open  this  door,  then  I  shall  never  know  when  Provi- 
dence does  open  the  door." 


154  LOG-CABI\  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


"The  truth  was,  Mrs.  Garfield  half  thought  that 
Providence  would  not  open  the  door  of  a  black  Salter's 
establishment  to  her  son  ;  but  she  did  not  say  so. 
She  smiled  at  James'  application  of  her  teachings 
about  Providence,  and  remarked  : 

••  Perhaps  Providence  did  open  this  door.  If  you  go 
to  Mr.  Barton's  and  resist  all  temptations  to  evil,  and 
maintain  your  good  character,  that  will  be  proof  that 
Providence  opened  this  door.  The  proof  of  it  de- 
pends on  yourself." 

''Then  you  give  your  consent .'' "  said  James. 

"  Yes,  I  give  my  consent,  and  hope  it  will  turn  out 
for  the  best." 

Barton  was  a  happy  man  on  the  following  Monday, 
when  James  presented  himself  at  his  door,  with  all 
his  worldly  possessions  tied  up  in  a  pocket-handker- 
chief. 

"  Yer've  come,"  he  said.  "  Yer  kin  put  yer  duds  in 
yer  sleeping-room ; "  and  he  showed  him  where  he 
would  lodge,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  manufactory 
for  work. 

The  establishment  was  a  dirty  place,  and  the  busi- 
ness, or  much  of  it,  was  dirty.  Shovelling  ashes,  at- 
tending to  the  boilers,  and  disposing  of  the  black-salts, 
was  not  an  inviting  business.  However,  James  did 
not  have  the  dirtiest  part  of  the  work  to  do,  unless  it 
was  occasionally.  He  kept  the  books,  waited  on  men 
who  deli^^cred  ashes  at  the  establishment,  paying  their 
bills,  and  he  waited  on  customers  also,  acting  as  sales- 
man. He  did  other  things  when  necessary,  always 
improving  his  time,  and  looking  after  the  establish- 
ment, as  if  he  were  Barton's  son.     He  was  the  first 


A   BLACK-SALTER.  155 

one  at  the  ashery  in  the  morning,  and  the  last  one  to 
leave  at  nicrht.     Barton  soon  learned  to  trust  him  with 

o 

implicit  confidence,  and  a  father  could  not  have  been 
kinder  to  the  boy  than  he  was. 

One  day  a  man  brought  a  load  of  ashes,  saying, 
"There  are  twenty-five  bushels."  James  had  not  been 
at  the  establishment  long,  before  he  resolved  to  meas- 
ure all  ashes  purchased  as  they  were  unloaded.  Mr. 
Barton  usually  took  them  for  the  number  of  bushels 
claimed.  James  directed  the  men  in  the  ashery  to 
measure  the  load  in  question  as  it  was  unloaded,  and 
he  kept  tally.  There  were  scarcely  more  than  twenty- 
two  bushels. 

"  Only  twenty-two  bushels,  sir,"  said  James  to  the 
owner. 

**  There  were  twenty-five  bushels  according  to  my 
measure,"  said  the  man. 

**  And  twenty-two  according  to  mine,"  replied  James. 
"I  will  pay  you  for  twenty-two  bushels  —  no  more." 

"  I  think  you  made  a  mistake,"  remarked  the  man. 

**  If  there  was  any  mistake,  I  think  you  made  it," 
retorted  James.  **  Three  heads  are  better  than  one, 
and  three  of  us  attended  to  the  measuring.  Shall  I 
pay  you  for  twenty-two  bushels  }'' 

"  Yes,  pay  away,"  the  man  answered,  sulkily. 

Barton  came  in  just  then,  when  James  told  him 
what  had  happened  ;  and  afterwards  he  told  him  fur- 
ther, that  there  was  a  great  deal  of  cheating  practised 
upon  him,  and  it  was  quite  time  for  his  interests  to  be 
looked  after  more  closely.  All  this  served  to  increase 
Barton's  confidence  in  James. 

The  men  with  whom  James  had  to  do  about    the 


156  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

establishment  were  about  as  his  mother  had  supposed 
—  a  rough,  wicked  class.  But  James  had  nothing  to 
do  with  them  except  in  the  business,  and  they  made 
no  impression  upon  him  as  to  weakening  his  principles. 
Most  of  them  were  terribly  profane,  and  one  day  James 
interrupted  one  of  them,  saying  : 

"Jake,  what  makes  you  swear  so  }  You  are  awful. 
What  good  does  it  do  you  .-*  " 

"  I  s'pose  it  gits  some  of  the  bad  stuff  out  of  me," 
was  Jake's  prompt  reply. 

"  If  that  is  the  case,  all  the  bad  stuff  ought  to  have 
been  out  of  you  long  ago ;  you  have  sworn  enough  to 
empty  yourself." 

•*  Nary  bisness  of  yers,  any  way,"  the  swearer  an- 
swered. 

**  I  should  think  that  the  more  bad  stuff  you  let 
out,  the  more  there  was  left,  Jake,"  continued  James. 
"  I  don't  want  you  should  empty  any  more  of  it  about 
me." 

"  What  is  't  to  yer,  any  way  } "  answered  the  godless 
fellow,  displeased  at  the  rebuke. 

"  It  is  a  very  bad  habit,  Jake,  as  you  know," 
answered  James.  **  It  does  you  no  good,  and  it  is  very 
unpleasant  to  many  persons  who  hear  you." 

"  Stop  yer  ears,  then,"  said  Jake,  angrily. 

"  There  is  no  use  being  mad  over  it,  Jake.  I  don't 
like  to  hear  your  profanity ;  and  now  suppose  you 
just  please  me  a  little,  and  not  spill  any  more  of  the 
stuff  near  me." 

Jake  laughed,  and  turned  to  his  work.  He  could 
not  be  very  angry  with  James,  for  he  thought  too 
much  of  him.     In  this  frank  and  honest  way,  James 


A   BLACK-SALTER.  1 5/ 

dealt  with  the  men.  There  was  no  danger  that  he 
would  be  enticed  away  by  that  class  of  men.  Another 
danger,  however,  met  him  in  the  house,  and  for  a 
time  it  was  an  unsettled  question  whether  Provi- 
deence  or  Satan  opened  that  door.  If  his  good 
mother  had  been  cognizant  of  what  was  going  on,  she 
would  have  discovered  ample  reason  for  her  appre- 
hensions. 

A  book-loving  boy  like  James  would  not  be  long  in 
a  strange  place  without  finding  all  the  books  there 
were ;  so  books  were  among  the  first  things  that 
attracted  his  attention  in  Barton's  house.  There 
were  ''  Marryat's  Novels,"  "  Sindbad  the  Sailor," 
"The  Pirate's  Own  Book,"  ''Jack  Halyard,"  ''Lives 
of  Eminent  Criminals,"  "  The  Buccaneers  of  the 
Caribbean  Seas,"  plundering  a  Spanish  galleon  ;  and 
perhaps  some  others  of  the  same  character.  The 
adventure  and  marvelous  exploits  contained  in  these 
volumes  were  suited  to  fire  his  imagination  and 
inflame  his  heart.  He  was  thus  introduced  into  a 
new  experience  altogether,  more  perilous  to  him  than 
a  regiment  of  coarse,  brutal  men.  He  made  books 
his  most  intimate  companions,  and  trusted  them  with 
entire  confidence.  He  could  read  deceitful  and  design- 
ing men  around  him,  and  bluff  them  off ;  but  he  took 
the  volumes  that  he  read  directly  to  his  heart,  and 
communed  with  them,  as  friend  communes  with 
friend. 

Volume  after  volume  of  this  pernicious  reading  was 
devoured,  causing  Mr.  Barton  to  remark  to  others 
of  the  "great  scholar"  in  his  employ.  Barton  him- 
self did  not  understand  but  that  the  volumes  in  his 


158  LOG-CABiy   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

house  were  as  safe  for  a  boy  to  read  as  the  Bible ;  nor 
did  he  care  much.  His  daughter  had  purchased 
these  books  from  time  to  time,  and  read  them,  too, 
and  why  should  he,  ignorant  man  that  he  was,  appre- 
ciate the  tendency  of  such  reading  ?  His  daughter 
was  a  young  woman  grown,  possessing  considerable 
native  ability,  but  little  culture,  though  she  was  the 
belle  of  the  town.  She  wrote  poetry  occasionally  for 
a  paper  that  had  been  started  in  Cleveland,  a  cir- 
cumstance that  gave  her  some  notoriety  among  the 
people. 

*'  I  see  you  like  reading,"  she  said  to  James  one 
evening,  when  he  was  rapt  over  one  of  Marryat's  novels. 

"  There's  nothinc:  I  like  better.  I  never  read  books 
like  these  before,"  he  answered. 

**  They  are  very  interesting  books,  I  think,"  she 
added. 

•*  You've  read  them,  have  you  }  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  bought  them,  and  I  have  read  them  all 
more  than  once." 

"  I  think  I  shall  read  them  more  than  once.  I'm 
glad  I  came  here  to  live.  These  long  evenings  would 
be  dull  for  me  without  books." 

"  You'd  have  to  go  to  Damon's  with  the  men, 
evenings,  if  you  had  no  books,"  the  young  woman 
suggested.  Damon's  was  the  store  where  the  post- 
office  was  kept ;  and  there  the  male  portion  of  the 
population  were  wont  to  congregate  in  the  evening,  to 
talk  politics,  or  nonsense,  according  to  circumstances. 
It  was  a  motley  crowd,  whose  appearance  would  have 
terrified  Mrs.  Garfield,  could  she  have  seen  them  ;  and 
yet  her  James  was  in  worse  company,  for  him,  every 


A   BLACK-SALTER.  1 59 

evening,  poring  over  those  fascinating  and  corrupting 
books.  He  did  not  know  his  danger,  and  so  his  dan- 
ger was  greater.  To  the  young  woman's  suggestion, 
James  replied,  — 

"I  couldn't  go  there." 

"Why.?"  she  asked. 

"■  I  don't  like  that  sort  of  company." 

'*  It's  not  very  attractive,  I  think,"  she  conceded. 

"  My  mother  would  be  frightened  to  see  me  in  such 
company." 

If  James  had  only  known,  he  might  have  said,  with 
equal  truth,  perhaps,  that  his  mother  would  be  fright- 
ened to  see  him  in  the  company  of  such  books.  But 
he  had  no  thoughts  in  that  direction.  He  had  be- 
come infatuated  over  these  mute,  yet  loquacious,  com- 
panions. 

When  the  family  retired  at  night,  James  would  take 
his  light  and  book  and  go  to  his  room,  but  not  to  bed. 
Twelve  o'clock  often  found  him  reading,  almost  ob- 
livious to  the  cold  that  pinched  his  flesh  and  made 
him  shiver.  But  his  young  blood  seemed  to  be 
warmed  by  the  excitement  and  enthusiasm  begotten 
by  his  reading. 

One  night  he  retired,  excited  and  wakeful.  As  he 
lay  musing,  he  said,  within  himself : 

**  I  will  see  some  of  the  world  yet.  I  shan't  always 
follow  this  business." 

Then  he  turned  over  to  invite  sleep,  but  was  still 
wakeful. 

**A  black-salter ! "  he  continued.  "It  is  not  the 
sort  of  work  for  me.  Can't  see  much  of  the  world, 
tied  down  here." 


l6o  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

He  turned  over  again,  restless  and  nervous,  but 
sleep  was  chary. 

"  I  should  like  to  be  a  sailor,  and  see  more  of  the 
world  ;  go  to  other  countries,  and  see  the  great  cities  ; 
it's  splendid,"  his  mind  said ;  and  he  was  not  sleepy 
at  all. 

"What's  the  use  of  staying  at  home  always,  and 
seeing  nothing,  when  the  great  world  is  open.  I 
mean  to  try  it  some  time." 

And  so  he  went  on  discussing  the  matter  within 
himself,  and  reasoning  away  many  of  the  staid  and 
valuable  ideas  that  had  kept  him  a  noble  boy. 

"  I  wonder  what  mother  will  say  to  it }  Women  are 
always  afraid,  and  want  to  keep  their  boys  at  home  all 
the  time.  I  'spose  she  will  make  a  terrible  fuss  about 
it  ;  but  I  mean  to  see  more  of  the  world,  somehow." 

Sleep  finally  came  to  his  relief,  and  he  dreamed  of 
ships  bearing  him  over  the  ocean  to  other  lands, 
where  fairy-like  cities  delighted  his  vision  ;  and  other 
enrapturing  scenes,  that  exist  only  in  dreams,  made 
him  thrice  happy.  It  was  quite  evident  now  that 
Satan  was  opening  the  door  of  the  future  wide,  in- 
stead of  that  providence  whose  watch  and  care  his 
good  mother  had  invoked. 

He  continued  a  faithful  laborer  to  Mr,  Barton,  at- 
tending to  the  details  of  the  business  with  prompt- 
ness, and  securing  his  love  and  confidence.  Barton 
watched  him  with  pride,  and  once  he  said  to  him  : 

"  Yer  kin  read,  ycr  kin  write,  and  yer  are  death  on 
figgers  ;  so  stay  with  me,  keep  my  'counts,  and  tend 
to  the  .saltery.  I'll  find  yer,  and  glad  to  give  yer  the 
fourteen  dollars  a  month." 


A   BLACK-SALTER.  l6l 

**  I  want  to  be  a  sailor,"  replied  James. 

**  A  sailor ! "  exclaimed  Barton,  in  amazement. 
"Yer  don't  mean  it.  There's  too  much  of  yer  for 
that  bisniss.     What's  put  that  idee  into  yer  head  } " 

"  I  want  to  see  more  of  the  world  than  I  can  see  in 
Ohio,"  answered  James.  "  It  will  be  dull  business  to 
make  black-salts  all  my  days." 

*'Well,  yer  will  never  go  to  sea  if  yer  take  my 
advice.  Stay  here,  and  some  day  yer'll  have  a  saltery 
of  yer  own." 

*'I  don't  want  one,"  replied  James.  "I'd  rather 
have  something  else." 

"My  word  for  it,"  continued  Barton  ;  "yer  are  too 
good  a  boy  to  spile  on  the  seas.  Stay  with  me,  and 
some  day  yer'll  have  a  saltery  as  big  as  our'n." 

"  I  wouldn't  spend  my  life  in  this  business  for  a 
dozen  salteries  as  big  as  this,"  replied  James. 

Barton  was  exceedingly  afraid  that  he  should  lose 
his  excellent  employe,  and  so  he  endeavored  to  make 
his  position  agreeable  as  possible.  His  praise,  too, 
was  not  stinted  at  all. 

"  Yer  are  a  cute  boy,  good  at  readin',  good  at  Ag- 
gers, good  at  work,  good  at  everything,"  he  would 
say  ;  "  stay  with  me,  and  I'll  do  well  by  yer." 

James  continued  through  the  winter,  until  April 
opened,  when  the  following  incident  terminated  his 
career  as  a  Salter. 

Barton's  daughter  had  a  beau,  and  he  came  to  see 
her  one  night,  when  James  was  working  over  some 
difficult  problems  in  arithmetic.  There  was  but  one 
room  below  in  the  farm-house,  and  that  was  a  very 
large  one,   so  the  young  couple  occupied   a   distant 


l62  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

corner,  James  and  the  **  old  folks  "  sitting  near  the 
fireplace.  James  took  in  the  situation  well  for  a  boy 
of  his  years,  and  designed  to  retire  as  soon  as  the 
girl's  father  and  mother  did  ;  but  he  became  so  ab- 
sorbed in  his  arithmetic  that  he  did  not  notice  they 
had  left  the  room,  until  the  impatient  girl  startled 
him  by  the  remark,  — 

"  I  should  think  it  was  time  for  hired  sei'vajits  to  be 
abed." 

James'  anger  was  aroused.  He  looked  at  her  fiercely 
for  a  moment,  but  said  nothing.  Then  he  took  his 
candle  and  started  for  his  room,  his  very  tread  on  the 
floor  showing  that  the  invincible  spirit  within  him  was 
thoroughly  stirred.  The  coast  was  now  clear  for  the 
matrimonial  aspirants,  though  at  quite  a  loss  to  the 
establishment,  as  the  sequel  will  show. 

James  could  not  sleep.  The  sarcastic  girl  had 
knocked  sleep  out  of  him. 

*^  Hired  servajii r'  he  repeated  to  himself,  over  and 
over.  "  And  that's  all  I  am  in  this  concern,  — '  a  hired 
servant.*  I'll  not  be  a  ^servant'  long,  let  them  know." 
And  he  tried  to  compose  himself,  and  forget  his  trouble 
by  going  to  sleep,  but  in  vain. 

"Hired  servant!"  It  would  not  down  at  his  bid- 
ding. He  kept  repeating  it,  in  spite  of  himself ;  and 
the  more  he  repeated  it,  the  more  his  feelings  were 
harrowed. 

"'Hired  servant!'  I  can  rise  above  that,  I  know, 
and  I  will.  I'll  not  stay  in  this  place  another  day,  let 
what  will  happen.  I'll  leave  to-morrow.  The  trollop 
shall  see  whether  I'm  a  'hired  servant,'  or  not.  /'// 
hire  servants  yet." 


A    BLACK-SALTER.  163 

The  fact  was,  that  unexpected  appellation  proved  to 
James  just  what  the  kick  in  the  stomach,  which  the 
schoolmate  gave  to  Newton,  did.  The  kick  made  a 
scholar  out  of  Newton  ;  the  girl's  remark  aroused  latent 
aspirations  in  James'  heart  to  be  somebody.  Years 
afterwards,  when  James  had  become  a  man,  and  was 
battling  with  the  stern  realities  of  life,  he  said,  "  That 
girl's  cutting  remark  proved  a  great  blessing  to  me. 
I  was  too  much  annoyed  by  it  to  sleep  that  night  ;  I 
lay  awake  under  the  rafters  of  that  old  farm-house,  and 
vowed,  again  and  again,  that  I  woidd  be  somebody; 
that  the  time  should  come  when  that  girl  would  not  call 
me  a  ^  Jiired  servanty^ 

The  bad  books,  however,  very  nearly  turned  the 
aspirations  awakened  into  the  way  to  ruin  instead  of 
honor. 

James  arose  early  in  the  morning,  dressed  himself, 
and  tied  up  his  few  possessions  in  a  bundle,  and  pre- 
sented himself  to  Mr.  Barton  for  settlement. 

"I'm  going  to  leave  to-day,"  he  said. 

If  he  had  fired  off  a  pistol  at  his  employer  the  latter 
would  not  have  been  more  astounded. 

"Goin'  ter  leave!"  he  exclaimed. 

"Yes;  I'm  done  working  at  this  business." 

"Hi,  Jim,  yer  can't  mean  it." 

"  I  do  mean  it,"  answered  James  ;  and  he  adhered 
to  his  purpose  against  the  entreaties  and  good  promises 
of  his  employer,  and  that,  too,  without  saying  a  word 
to  him  about  the  "hired  servant."  The  upshot  was, 
that  Mr.  Barton  paid  him  off,  and  James  was  at  home 
before  noon. 


CHAPTER   XI. 
A   WOOD-CHOPPER. 

OME  for  good,"  said  James  to  his  mother 
on  entering  the  house.  "  Got  enough  of 
saltering." 

''I  am  glad  to  see  you,  James ;  but  what's 
the  matter  now?"  his  mother  replied. 

"Matter  enough.     I've  come  home  to  stay." 

"I'm  glad  of  that." 

*'I  can  be  somebody  if  I  try,  instead  of  a  'hired 
servant,'  "  continued  James,  speaking  the  last  two  words 
contemptuously. 

"  What  now  ?  Have  you  had  any  trouble  with  Mr. 
Barton?" 

"  None  at  all ;  he  is  one  of  the  kindest  men  in  the 
world.     I  shouldn't  want  to  work  for  a  better  man." 

"What,  then,  is  to  pay?"  urged  his  mother,  ear- 
nestly. 

James  rehearsed  to  her  the  experience  of  the  pre- 
vious evening,  and  his  determination  to  quit  the  busi- 
ness, together  with  Mr.  Barton's  disappointment  at  his 
leaving,  and  his  entreaties  for  him  to  stay.  Mrs.  Gar- 
field listened  attentively  to  the  recital,  which  closed  by 

his  saying, — 
164 


A   WOOD-CHOPPER.  165 

'* There  are  fifty-six  dollars  for  you,  mother." 

"You  are  indeed  thoughtful  of  your  mother,  and  the 
money  will  add  many  comforts  to  our  home,"  replied 
Mrs.  Garfield;  ''but  did  you  not  act  rather  hastily.?" 

"  Hastily  or  not,  I've  acted,  and  that  is  the  end  of 
it,"  replied  James.  "  I  didn't  exactly  want  to  give  up 
the  job,  on  account  of  the  pay,  but  I  have." 

"I  should  think  much  of  Mr.  Barton's  kindness  and 
his  disappointment,"  suggested  his  mother. 

"And  minded  nothing  about  the  insulting  girl,  I 
s'pose.-*" 

"I  shouldn't  care  for  her.  I  don't  suppose  she 
meant  any  evil  by  her  remark.  Besides,  it  is  not  dis- 
honorable to  be  a  hired  servant,  especially  if  you  are  a 
good  one,"  added  his  mother. 

"That  is  not  the  thing,  mother.  I  don't  think  it  is 
dishonorable  to  be  a  'hired  servant.'  It  was  the  girl's 
insulting  way  of  saying  it,  and  it  stirred  me  up  to  want 
to  be  somebody  in  the  world,  and  I  mean  to  be." 

"  I  hope  it  will  all  turn  out  for  the  best,  my  son ;  and 
I  believe  that  Providence  will  overrule  it  for  good." 

"  I  must  look  out  for  another  job,  now,"  remarked 
James. 

"And  not  stay  at  home?" 

"No;  I  can  earn  more  for  you,  away." 

"Well,  as  you  think  best,"  said  his  mother.  "I 
dare  say  you  will  have  a  plenty  of  chances." 

"  I  would  like  to  go  to  sea,  mother,"  added  James, 
hesitatingly. 

If  he  had  struck  his  mother  in  her  face,  she  would 
not  have  been  more  shocked. 

"  Why,  James  !  "  she  exclaimed. 


l66  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I've  been  thinking  about  it,"  James  continued. 

**  Thinking  about  it,  James  !  What  has  got  into 
you?     You  shock  me." 

"  I  don't  wish  to  go  against  your  will,  mother," 
James  added. 

"  You  will  go  against  my  will,  if  you  ever  go  to  sea, 
James.  Be  a  Salter,  or  anything  else,  rather  than  a 
sailor." 

♦'  Why,  mother  }  " 

"  You  certainly  can  never  be  '  somebody,'  as  you 
say,  by  going  to  sea." 

"  I  can  be  a  commander  of  a  vessel,  perhaps,  and 
some  day  I  may  own  one  ;  who  knows } " 

"  Who  knows  what  you  wouldn't  be,  James,  if  you 
should  become  a  sailor }  Say  no  more  about  such  a 
step,  if  you  want  to  make  your  mother  happy." 

The  subject  was  dropped  there,  and  James  pro- 
ceeded to  look  about  the  farm.  For  several  days  he 
busied  himself  in  putting  things  in  order,  awaiting 
work  elsewhere.  At  length  he  heard  that  his  uncle, 
living  at  Newburg,  near  Cleveland,  wanted  to  hire 
wood-choppers.  His  uncle  was  clearing  a  large  tract 
of  forest  near  the  line  of  Independence  township. 
After  conferring  with  his  mother,  and  seeking  the 
advice  of  his  uncle,  Amos  Boynton,  he  decided  to  go 
to  Newburg.  His  mother  was  quite  willing  that  he 
should  go  there,  because  his  sister  Mchetabcl  had 
married,  and  was  living  there  ;  and  James  could  board 
with  her.  Three  days  after,  James  presented  himself 
at  his  uncle's  door  in  Newburg,  making  known  his 
errand. 

**  Glad  to  see  you,  James,"  was  his  uncle's  cordial 


A   WOOD-CHOPPER.  i^)/ 


w 


elcomc.  **  How  you  grow  !  almost  a  man,  now ! 
Yes,  I've  work  enough  to  be  clone  at  chopping,  if 
men  will  only  do  it." 

"■  I  like  to  chop,"  interrupted  James. 

**A  great  many  don't,"  replied  his  uncle;  "and 
chopping  wood  is  pretty  hard  work,  —  about  as  hard 
as  any  work  there  is." 

"I  don't  think  so,"  remarked  James.  "I  do  not 
get  so  tired  chopping  as  I  have  been  sometimes 
planing  boards." 

"Well,  let's  see,"  continued  his  uncle;  "how  much 
of  a  job  at  chopping  can  you  undertake  .?  It's  coming 
warm  weather,  and  you  don't  want  to  chop  wood  when 
it  is  too  hot,  do  you  .-* " 

"  Perhaps  not  ;  I  can  chop  two  months,  sure." 

"Suppose  you  take  a  job  of  one  hundred  cords  to 
cut,  James  ;  how  will  that  do  .**  " 

"  I  will  agree  to  that.  How  much  will  you  pay  me 
a  cord .'' " 

"  I  will  pay  you  fifty  cents  a  cord  for  one  hundred 
cords ;  and  the  fifty  dollars  shall  be  ready  for  you  as 
soon  as  the  work  is  done.  How  long  will  you  be 
cutting  it } " 

"  Fifty  days,"  James  quickly  answered. 

"  A  little  longer  than  that,  I  reckon,  unless  you 
are  a  mighty  smart  chopper,"  suggested  his  uncle. 
"  There's  a  great  difference  in  men,  and  boys,  too,  in 
chopping  wood." 

"  I  shall  cut  two  cords  a  day,  right  along,"  said 
James.     "  I  can  do  it  easily." 

"That's  pretty  good  chopping  —  better  than  the 
average,   by  considerable,"  replied  his  uncle;    "and 


l68  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

you  are  larger  and  stronger  than  the  average  of  chop- 
pers, I  guess." 

The  bargain  was  clinched,  and  James  passed  on  to 
his  sister's,  who  gave  him  a  warm  greeting,  and 
agreed  to  board  him.  So  James  was  once  more 
settled,  and  ready  to  proceed  to  business.  The  next 
morning  he  appeared  in  the  role  of  a  wood-chopper ; 
not  a  new  occupation  to  him. 

It  was  unfortunate  for  James  that  his  work  was  in 
full  view  of  Lake  Erie,  on  whose  blue  bosom  he  could 
see  a  plenty  of  craft  sailing,  at  any  time.  The  loca- 
tion seemed  to  conspire  with  the  bad  books  at  Bar- 
ton's to  fan  his  desire  for  a  sea-faring  life  into  a  flame. 
In  the  circumstances,  it  was  not  strange  that  James 
did  not  forget  the  books  he  had  read.  He  often 
stopped  in  his  work  to  watch  a  vessel  gliding  over  the 
waves  like  a  swan,  and  sometimes  he  would  seat  him- 
self upon  a  log  to  count  the  sails  appearing  in  the 
distance.  It  was  a  rare  spectacle  to  him,  and  his 
young  heart  bounded  with  delight.  He  cherished  the 
secret  thought  that,  seme  day,  he  would  be  sailing 
over  that  very  lake. 

There  were  several  choppers  near  him,  one  of  them 
a  German.  He  was  a  clever  man,  and  spoke  very 
broken  English.  James  thought  he  was  a  slow 
chopper,  and  noticed  that  his  axe  did  not  fly  briskly. 
At  the  end  of  a  week,  however,  he  found  that  the 
German  had  cut  and  corded  two  cords  a  day,  —  just 
the  amount  he  himself  had  cut. 

**  I  don't  understand  it,"  he  said  to  his  sister,  on 
going  home.  "  I  strike  two  blows  to  the  German's 
one,  and  yet  he  has  cut  as  many  cords  as  I  have." 


A   WOOD-CHOPPER.  169 

"  Perhaps  he  strikes  heavier  blows,"  suggested  his 
sister. 

"I  doubt  it,"  replied  James;  "but  I  will  find  out 
the  reason." 

James  was  on  the  alert  to  find  out  the  reason  of  the 
German's  success.  Nor  was  he  left  long  in  the  dark. 
Lake  Erie  had  no  attractions  for  the  Teutonic 
chopper,  and  so  he  kept  steadily  at  his  work,  from 
morning  until  night,  while  James  frequently  stopped 
to  watch  the  sails  in  the  distance.  The  German  did 
not  strike  blows  so  rapidly  as  James,  nor  were  his 
blows  more  telling,  but  he  was  steadily  at  work  from 
morning  until  night.  James  comprehended  the  whole, 
and  it  was  a  good  lesson  to  him.  He  took  his  first 
lesson  of  application  and  perseverance  of  the  German 
wood-chopper,  and  reduced  it  to  practice  at  once.  It 
rather  cooled  his  fiery  ardor  for  the  sea.  He  con- 
fessed to  his  sister  that  he  had  wasted  some  time  in 
watching  sails  on  the  lake.  At  the  same  time,  he 
owned  that  he  had  a  longing  for  the  sea. 

**  You  surprise  me,  James,"  his  sister  said.  "I 
never  thought  that  of  you.  You  can't  be  in  earnest, 
can  you  "^ " 

"  I  never  was  more  earnest  in  my  life,"  answered 
James,  coolly.  "The  height  of  my  ambition  is  to 
command  a  ship." 

"  Captain  Garfield  !  That  is  the  title  you  want  to 
earn,  is  it  .-^ "  remarked  his  sister.  "  I  hope  you'll 
never  get  it." 

"  You  know  that  was  the  title  of  one  of  our  great 
ancestors.  Captain  Benjamin  Garfield,"  suggested 
James. 


I/O  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  But  he  didn't  get  his  title  on  a  ship,  by  any  means ; 
he  got  it  in  the  Revolutionary  war,"  retorted  his  sister. 
"Anything  but  a  sailor." 

"  I  might  be  something  worse  than  that,"  added 
James. 

"  Not  unless  you  become  a  mean  man!^  quickly 
answered  his  sister, 

"  You  had  rather  I  would  get  the  title  by  shooting 
men  in  war,  than  bringing  goods  from  foreign  ports, 
had  you  ? "  said  James,  in  a  sarcastic  manner. 

"  I  rather  you  would  be  a  wood-chopper  all  your 
days  than  to  be  a  sailor,"  was  his  sister's  prompt 
reply.  "  I  think  mother  would  say  the  same.  You 
have  too  much  talent  to  throw  away  on  the  deck  of  a 
ship." 

James  received  no  encouragement  from  any  quarter 
to  become  a  sailor ;  and  his  aspirations  in  that  direc- 
tion became  somewhat  modified.  He  thought  less  of 
a  sea-faring  life  for  a  time,  and  devoted  himself  to 
wood-chopping  with  commendable  industry.  Two 
cords  a  day  were  cut  and  piled  with  ease.  He  could 
have  cut  two  cords  and  a  half  each  day  without 
lengthening  his  days  inordinately.  But  he  had  fixed 
the  limit  when  he  began,  and  James  was  not  the  boy 
to  change  his  purpose. 

His  sister  owned  a  few  books,  and  his  uncle  more  ; 
and,  between  them  both,  James  was  quite  well  pro- 
vided with  reading.  A  newspaper,  that  his  uncle 
took,  occupied  his  attention  till  each  number  was  read 
through.  Nor  were  the  books  objectionable,  like 
those  at  Barton's.  They  were  healthy  and  profitable 
volumes  for  such  a  reader  as  James,  who  preferred  a 


A   WOOD-CHOPPER.  \J\ 

book  to  the  society  of  the  young  men  of  the  town, 
who  might  gather  at  any  rendezvous.  His  reading, 
too,  appeared  to  offset  his  growing  desire  for  the  sea. 
Engrossing  his  attention  in  the  subject-matter  of  the 
books,  excluded,  in  a  measure,  at  least  for  the  time, 
his  hankering  for  a  ship.  His  evenings  were  wholly 
given  up  to  reading,  some  of  them  extending  consider- 
ably beyond  bed-time.  The  temptation  to  lengthen 
his  evenings  for  reading  he  could  not  resist  so  readily 
as  he  could  the  temptation  to  lengthen  the  days  for 
chopping. 

James  chopped  the  hundred  cords  of  wood  in  fifty 
days,  and  received  his  pay,  according  to  the  contract. 
On  paying  him,  his  uncle  said:  — 

*'  I  hope  you  will  not  always  be  a  wood-chopper, 
James,  although  it  is  a  necessary  and  honorable  busi- 
ness. But  you  are  competent  to  do  something  of 
more  consequence.  The  way  may  open  for  you  to  get 
an  education  yet :  how  would  you  like  that  t  " 

"  I  should  like  it,"  answered  James,  although  he 
would  have  said,  "I  want  to  go  to  sea,"  if  he  had 
really  dared  to  risk  it.  But  he  had  good  reason  to 
suppose  that  his  uncle  would  resolutely  rebuke  any 
such  expression.  So  he  desisted.  Nor  did  he  tell 
a  falsehood  by  saying  that  he  would  like  to  acquire 
an  education,  for  his  taste  was  strong  in  that  direc- 
tion ;  but  he  could  discover  no  way  into  that  field  of 
clover. 

Bidding  his  uncle  and  sister  good-by,  James  re- 
turned home,  and  presented  his  mother  with  the 
balance  of  the  fifty  dollars,  after  paying  for  his  board. 
His  mother  was  rejoiced  to  see  her  boy,  wondering 


172  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

all  the  while  if  his  desire  for  a  sea-faring  life  sur- 
vived. She  thought  it  not  best,  however,  to  open  a 
subject  that  was  so  unpleasant  to  her,  for  fear  it 
might  prove  agreeable  to  him.  Nothing  was  said 
about  the  sea. 

It  was  the  last  week  in  June,  and  James  would  like 
a  job  for  the  summer.  His  uncle  Amos  told  him  of  a 
farmer,  five  or  six  miles  away,  who  wanted  to  hire  a 
man  through  haying  and  harvesting,  about  four 
months.  James  went  immediately  to  see  him,  bar- 
gained to  work  for  him  from  July  to  November,  four 
months,  and  accordingly  took  up  his  abode  with  the 
man  on  the  first  day  of  July. 

A  stout,  muscular  fellow  like  James  was  supposed 
to  be  an  efficient  hand  in  the  hay-field.  His  em- 
ployer liked  his  appearance,  and  expected  much  of 
him.  Nor  was  he  disappointed.  His  strength  en- 
abled him  to  swing  a  scythe  and  pitch  hay  with 
power,  though  he  was  a  boy  in  age.  Then  he  pos- 
sessed a  boy's  pride  in  his  strength,  and  delighted 
to  astonish  his  employer  by  an  exhibition  of  it.  Boy- 
like, he  found  great  pleasure  in  keeping  squarely  up 
with  his  employer  in  the  mowing  field,  sometimes 
cutting  his  corners.  His  power  of  endurance  was 
remarkable ;  and  he  never  appeared  to  tire,  or  "  play 
out,"  as  the  boys  say. 

James  found  no  books  here,  or  none  worth  men- 
tioning. The  people  cared  little  about  reading, 
though  they  were  people  of  character.  But  farming 
was  their  business,  and  they  worked  early  and  late. 
When  the  day's  work  was  done,  they  went  to  bed, 
and,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,   they  were  up 


A   WOOD-CHOPPER.  173 


and  ready  for  another  day's  work.  Thus  it  was 
through  the  whole  busy  season  of  the  year.  James 
kept  abreast  of  them.  ''If  I  can't  do  what  other 
folks  can,   I'll  quit,"  he  said  to  himself,  more  than 

once. 

Nothing  unusual  occurred  during  the  four  months, 
excepting  only  two  incidents,  which  we  will  narrate. 

James  was  digging  potatoes  in  October,  and  putting 
them  into  the  cellar.  On  going  to  the  house  with  a 
load  one  day,  he  found  a  neighbor  discussing  the  sub- 
ject of  baptism  with  his  employer's  daughter. 

''Sprinkling  is  baptism,"  James  heard  him  say, 
"  Immersion  is  no  more.  A  drop  of  water  is  as  good 
as  a  fountain." 

"  Sprinkling  is  not  baptism,  according  to  Alexander 
Campbell,"  replied  the  young  woman;  "and  I  don't 
see  how  it  can  be." 

"  I  said,  according  to  the  Bible.  I  don't  care  a  fig 
for  Alexander  Campbell,"  the  neighbor  rejoined. 

"That  makes  your  position  harder  to  support," 
interrupted  James,  with  the  design  of  affording  relief 
to  the  farmer's  daughter,  whom  he  very  much  re- 
spected. 

"What  do  you  know  about  it.?"  exclaimed  the 
neighbor,  somewhat  annoyed  at  the  boy's  interrup- 
tion. "You  know  more  about  potatoes  than  the 
Scriptures,  according  to  my  idea." 

"  You  can't  prove  that  sprinkling  is  baptism,  from 
the  Bible,"  added  James. 

"That's  all  you  know  about  it,"  retorted  the  man. 
"See  here,"  continued  James,  thinking  he  would 
surprise   the   disputant   by  his   familiarity   with    the 


174  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Scriptures  ;  **  how  do  you  get  along  with  this  ?  " 
And  he  proceeded  to  quote  from  Hebrews :  "  Let 
us  draw  near  with  a  true  heart,  in  full  assurance  of 
faith,  having  our  hearts  sprinkled  from  an  evil  con- 
science." 

'*  There,  you  see  it  says  *  sprinkled,' "  interrupted 
the  neighbor,  quite  elated. 

"  But,  hold  on  !  "  replied  James  ;  "wait,  and  hear  the 
rest  of  it.  You  are  in  too  big  a  hurry."  And  James 
repeated  the  remainder  of  the  text :  "and  our  bodies 
v:as]icd  with  pure  water."  He  laid  stress  on  the  word 
"  washed,"  adding  :  — 

"  Now  tell  me,  if  you  can,  how  can  you  wash  your 
body  in  a  drop  of  water." 

Without  waiting  for  a  reply,  he  hurried  away  to  the 
potato-patch. 

The  other  incident  relates  to  his  desire  to  go  to  sea. 
He  concluded  to  sound  his  employer  one  day,  and  he 
said  :  — 

"  What  do  you  think  about  my  going  to  sea } " 

"  Going  to  see  what }  "  answered  the  farmer. 

"To  ship,  and  be  a  sailor,"  answered  James. 

"  Likely  story  that  you  would  undertake  that  busi- 
ness." 

"I'm  thinking  of  it." 

"I  guess  you'll  take  it  out  in  thinking." 

"  Honest,  though,  I'm  not  joking.  I  want  to  com- 
mand a  ship." 

"  Well,  if  you  were  my  boy,"  retorted  the  farmer, 
"  I  should  command  you  to  sJiiit  up.  It's  the  last 
place  for  you  to  go.  Better  dig  potatoes  all  your 
days." 


A   WPOD-CHOPPER.  1 75 

"  I  will  shut  up,"  repeated  James,  quite  amused  at 
the  farmer's  decided  way  of  opposing  a  sea-faring  life. 
He  did  not  mention  the  subject  again. 

James  completed  his  four  months'  labor  with  the 
farmer,  for  which  he  received  twelve  dollars  a  month, 
—  forty-eight  dollars  in  all,  —  with  the  farmer's  laconic 
endorsement : 

"  You've  done  well." 


s 


CHAPTER    XTI. 

A  CANAL  BOY. 

AMES  was  restive  and  dissatisfied  when  he 
returned  home.  His  mother  saw  that  he 
was  uneasy,  and  she  feared  that  he  was 
thinking  about  the  sea.  Nor  was  she  mis- 
taken in  her  apprehensions,  although  she  remained 
silent  on  the  subject.  Thus  matters  continued  through 
the  winter,  James  attending  school,  and  looking  after 
the  place.  In  the  spring,  he  worked  at  odd  jobs  in 
the  town,  until  the  farm  demanded  his  attention.  It 
was  evident,  however,  that  his  heart  was  not  in  his 
work.  His  thoughts  were  on  the  sea.  At  last  he 
seemed  to  reach  a  point  where  he  could  restrain  his 
desires  no  longer.  It  was  about  the  first  of  July.  He 
said  to  his  mother  : 

"  Mother,  you  don't  know  how  I  long  for  the  sea. 
Why  cannot  I  look  after  a  place  on  a  ship  ? " 

"  Where   do    you   want   to   ship   to,   James  .•* "  his 
mother  replied. 

This  answer  was  unexpected.     James  anticipated  a 

direct  refusal,  but  the  answer  indicated  a  change  of 

feeling  in  his  mother,  he  thought  ;  and  it  encouraged 

him  to  proceed.     There  was  really  no  change  in  his 

136 


A    CANAL   BOY.  1 77 


mother's  feelings,  but  she  was  a  sagacious  woman, 
and  there  was  a  change  in  her  tactics. 

"  I'm  not  particular  where ;  I  want  to  see  some- 
thing of  the  world,"  was  James'  answer. 

"  It's  rather  queer  for  a  boy  of  your  ability  not  to 
know  where  he  wants  to  go,"  said  his  mother.  "  If  I 
wanted  to  go  somewhere,  I  would  find  out  where  in 
the  first  place.  You  don't  care  whether  you  go  to 
Europe,  Asia,  or  Africa!" 

"  Nf  i  exactly  that,"  replied  James ;  "  I  would  like 
to  cross  the  Atlantic." 

"And  be  sick  enough  of  it  before  you  got  half 
across,"  remarked  Mrs.  Garfield.  "  Boys  don't  know 
what  they  want." 

''/know  what  /  want,"  retorted  James;  "and  that 
is  what  I  am  trying  to  tell  you.  I  want  to  try  life  on 
the  ocean.     If  I  don't  like  it,  I'll  give  it  up." 

"  That's  not  so  easy.  You  get  out  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean, or  to  China,  and  it  will  not  be  very  easy  to 
give  it  up  and  come  home.  You  will  wish  that  you 
had  taken  your  mother's  advice."  His  mother  said 
this  with  much  feeling. 

"  I  shall  never  know  till  I  try,"  James  continued. 
"  But  I  will  never  go  to  sea,  or  anywhere  else,  unless 
you  consent." 

"  Suppose  you  try  a  trip  in  a  schooner  on  Lake  Erie 
first,  and  see  how  you  like  it,"  suggested  his  mother. 
"  Perhaps  you  won't  like  it.  You  will  not  be  far  from 
home,  then." 

"  Are  you  willing  that  I  should  do  that } "  inquired 
James,  brightening  up  at  the  prospect. 

"  I'd  mi?^h  rather  you  would  do  that  than  to  cross 


1/8  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  Atlantic,  and  I  would  give  my  consent  to  that," 
his  mother  answered,  with  reluctance. 

**  It  is  settled,  then,"  replied  James.  *'  I  shall  start 
for  Lake  Erie  as  soon  as  I  can  get  ready." 

Mrs.  Garfield's  tactics  prevailed.  She  had  given 
much  thought  to  the  subject,  and  had  reluctantly  con- 
cluded that,  if  worst  came  to  worst,  she  would  com- 
promise with  the  boy,  and  allow  him  to  ship  on  Lake 
Erie.  She  feared  that  his  desire  to  become  a  sailor 
would  prove  uncontrollable,  and  that  he  would  event- 
ually go  to  sea,  any  way.  Perhaps  allowing  him  to 
try  life  on  shipboard,  in  a  smaller  way,  and  so  near 
home  as  the  familiar  lake,  would  result  in  his  abandon- 
ing the  idea  of  a  "  life  on  the  ocean  wave,"  altogether. 

James  prepared  for  his  departure  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble ;  and  taking  what  money  was  necessary,  with  his 
inevitable  bundle,  he  returned  his  mother's  kiss,  but 
not  her  tears,  and  started  for  Cleveland,  where  he  ex- 
pected to  ship.  He  walked  the  whole  distance,  seven- 
teen miles,  and  was  in  sight  of  the  tempting  sails  at 
twelve  o'clock,  noon. 

He  proceeded  directly  to  the  wharf,  and  boarded 
the  first  schooner  he  found. 

"  Chance  for  another  hand  on  board  .?  "  he  inquired 
of  one  of  the  crew. 

The  sailor  addressed  answered,  "The  captain  will 
soon  come  up  from  the  hold." 

So  James  waited,  expecting  soon  to  stand  in  the 
presence  of  a  stout,  gentlemanly,  noble-looking  man, 
just  such  a  captain  as  he  had  read  of  in  books.  He 
did  not  wait  long  before  the  sailor,  whom  he  had  ad- 
dressed, remarked  : 


A    CANAL  BOY.  1 79 


*'The  captain  is  coming." 

James  heard  a  tremendous  noise  below,  as  if  there 
was  trouble  of  some  kind  ;  and  then  he  heard  a  hu- 
man voice  belching  out  most  horrible  oaths  at  some- 
body, or  something,  as  if  the  captain  of  the  infernal 
regions  was  approaching.  He  scarcely  knew  what  to 
make  of  it.  But,  while  he  stood  wondering,  the  cap- 
tain appeared,  —  a  drunken,  beastly,  angry  fellow,  — 
a  whiskey-barrel  on  legs,  his  mouth  its  bung-hole, 
pouring  out  the  vilest  stuff  possible.  James  had 
seen  some  hard  customers  before,  but  if  the  pit  could 
send  up  a  more  horrible  sample  of  humanity  from  its 
*'  hold,"  he  did  not  wish  to  meet  him.  James  looked 
at  the  creature  a  moment,  and  the  disgusting  creature 
looked  at  him,  when  he  ventured  to  approach  him, 
saying,  in  a  gentlemanly  way  : 

**  Captain  1  " 

"  Yes  ;  what  do  you  want }  " 

"Do  you  want  to  hire  another  hand  for  your 
schooner .''  " 

"  What  if  I  do,  you  green  land-lubber } "  exclaimed 
the  captain,  with  another  torrent  of  oaths.  "  Get  off 
this  schooner  in  double-quick,  or  I'll  throw  you  into 
the  dock." 

James  attempted  to  excuse  himself  in  a  polite  way, 
but  the  infuriated  wretch  only  cursed  and  raved  the 
more,  swinging  his  fists  in  the  most  threatening 
manner. 

"  Get  out,  I  say,  or  I'll  be  the  death  of  you.  'Spose 
I'd  hire  such  a  lubber  and  greenhorn  to  run  my 
schooner!"  And  the  blackest  oaths  continued  to  roll 
out  of  his  mouth. 


l8o  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


The  last  sound  of  that  terrible  voice  that  lingered 
on  James'  ear,  as  he  hurried  from  the  craft,  was  that 
of  profanity.  Such  a  repulse  he  never  dreamed  of. 
He  scarcely  thought  such  a  scene  possible  anywhere. 
He  had  read  of  sailors  and  captains,  but  he  had  never 
read  of  such  a  captain  as  that.  He  began  to  think 
that  books  are  not  always  reliable.  It  was  the  first 
time  he  had  ever  stopped  to  think  that  men  are  not 
always  what  they  are  represented  to  be  in  books.  The 
experience  was  a  damper  to  his  seafaring  propensity. 
In  this  respect  it  was  a  good  thing  for  the  boy.  As 
it  turned  out,  the  drunken  captain  prevented  him  from 
becoming  a  sailor.  It  was  a  rather  rough  way  of  being 
turned  aside  from  a  purpose,  but  the  roughest  usage 
sometimes  leads  to  the  best  results. 

James  sat  down  on  a  pile  of  wood  to  muse  on  the 
ways  of  the  world,  and  to  eat  a  lunch  which  he  put 
into  his  pocket  on  leaving  home.  He  could  not  under- 
stand the  philosophy  of  such  a  course  as  the  captain 
pursued.  He  did  nothing  to  provoke  him.  "He,"  he 
thought,  "was  provoked  before  I  saw  him,  for  I  heard 
his  fearful  oaths."  He  concluded,  finally,  that  he  did 
appear  rather  green  and  rough  to  the  captain,  for  his 
clothes  were  countrified  and  worn  ;  and  perhaps  he  did 
not  know  exactly  how  to  present  himself  to  a  sea  cap- 
tain, Salter,  wood-chopper,  and  farmer  as  he  was.  The 
more  he  pondered  the  more  he  found  an  excuse  for  the 
captain,  and  the  less  disposed  he  was  to  relinquish  his 
purpose  to  be  a  sailor. 

He  ceased  to  muse,  and  walked  along  the  wharf, 
perhaps  not  exactly  satisfied  what  to  do  next.  He 
was  soon  startled,  however,  by  a  voice : 


A    CANAL   BOV.  l8l 


"Jim!     Jim!" 

James  turned  about ;  the  voice  came  from  a  canal  boat. 

"  Halloo,  Jim  !     How  came  you  here  ?  " 

It  was  Amos  Letcher,  his  cousin,  who  called  to  him 
from  the  canal  boat. 

*'You  here,  Amos?"  exclaimed  James;  and  he  was 
on  board  the  boat  in  a  hurry,  shaking  hands  with  his 
old  friend  and  relative. 

*'  How  came  you  here }  "  inquired  Amos.  "  The  last 
I  knew  of  you,  you  were  chopping  wood." 

"  I  came  over  to  see  if  I  could  find  a  chance  to  ship 
on  the  Lake,"  replied  James. 

''What  luck.?" 

'*  Not  much,  yet .?  " 

''  Seen  anybody  .-*  " 

Finally  James  rehearsed  his  experience  on  the 
schooner,  to  which  Amos  listened  with  a  kind  of 
comical  interest. 

"  Hot  reception,"  remarked  Amos,  after  listening  to 
the  recital.  *'  Some  of  the  captains  are  hard  cus- 
tomers, I  tell  you." 

"  Hard ! "  repeated  James  ;  "that  is  no  name  for  that 
fellow.  I  'spose  he  is  human ;  he  looks  like  a  man, 
but  he  is  more  of  a  demon." 

"  You  wouldn't  like  to  ship  with  such  a  brute,  would 
you.'*"  Amos  inquired. 

"No  ;  I'd  rather  chop  wood." 

"How  would  you  like  a  canal  boat.-*" 

"  I  don't  know ;  would  it  help  me  to  get  a  place  on  a 
ship.?" 

"It  might,  some." 

"  Another  hand  wanted  on  this  boat  ?  "   James  asked. 


1 82  LOG-CABIA   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

**  Yes,  we  want  another  driver." 

"Where's  the  captain?" 

"/am  captain." 

"You  captain,  Amos?"  replied  James,  with  much 
surprise. 

"  Yes,  I  am  captain ;  and  I  should  be  right  glad  to 
hire  you." 

"Driver!  that  is,  I  drive  the  horses?"  added  James, 
inquiringly. 

"That  is  just  it ;  not  so  hard  as  chopping  wood.'* 

"Where  do  you  go  to?" 

"To  Pittsburg." 

"What  do  you  carry?" 

"  Copper  ore." 

"  I  think  I  will  engage,  Captain  Letcher,"  continued 
James,  repeating  the  title  of  his  cousin,  to  see  how  it 
sounded.     "  How  much  will  you  pay  me?" 

"  Twelve  dollars  a  month ;  that  is  what  we  pay 
drivers." 

"  I'll  take  the  position,  Captain  Letcher,  and  do  the 
best  I  can." 

"And  I  shan't  ask  you  to  do  any  better  than  that," 
said  Amos,  as  facetiously  as  James  had  repeated  his 
title. 

"  We  start  to-morrow  morning,"  added  the  captain. 
"You  will  not  lose  much  time." 

"So  much  the  better,"  answered  James,  thinking 
himself  quite  fortunate  on  the  whole. 

The  canal  at  that  time  was  a.  great  thoroughfare 
between  Lake  Eric  and  the  Ohio  River.  Copper 
mining  was  carried  on  extensively  on  Lake  Superior, 
and    the    ore   was    brought    down    to    Cleveland    in 


A    CANAL  BOY.  1 83 


schooners,  and  from  thence  was  taken  to  Pittsburg 
by  canal.  The  name  of  the  canal  boat  commanded  by 
Captain  Letcher  was  ''Evening  Star,"  and  its  capacity 
was  seventy  tons.  It  was  manned  with  two  steersmen, 
two  drivers,  a  bowman,  and  a  cook,  besides  the  captain, 
—  seven  men  in  all.  The  bowman's  business  was  to 
make  the  locks  ready,  and  to  stop  the  boat  as  it  entered 
the  lock,  by  throwing  the  bowline,  that  was  attached 
to  the  bow  of  the  boat,  around  the  snubbing  post.  The 
drivers  were  furnished  with  two  mules  each,  which 
were  driven  one  before  the  other ;  one  driver  with  his 
mules  serving  a  given  number  of  hours,  then  giving 
place  to  the  other,  and  going  on  board  with  his  mules. 

Boatmen,  as  a  class,  were  rough  fellows,  then. 
*' Profane,  coarse,  vulgar,  whiskey-drinkers,"  describes 
them  exactly.  Rum  and  tobacco  were  among  their 
necessaries  of  life,  about  as  much  so  as  bread  or  meat. 
They  cared  nothing  for  morals  and  religion,  and  often 
made  them  the  butt  of  ridicule.  The  best  fellow  was 
the  one  who  could  drink  the  most  whiskey,  and  sing  the 
worst  songs.  Of  course  such  fellows  were  no  company 
for  James.  The  contrast  between  him  and  one  of  this 
class  was  very  marked.  It  was  a  new  and  hard  school 
for  him. 

At  sunrise,  on  the  following  morning,  James  took 
his  turn  at  mule-driving,  the  captain  starting  him  off 
well  by  some  instructions.  The  boat  was  to  pass 
through  the  first  lock  before  James  hitched  on.  This 
done,  and  James  stepped  directly  into  the  rank  of  mule- 
driver.  It  was  going  to  sea  on  a  small  scale,  and  so 
there  was  some  fascination  about  it.  And  yet  he 
was  on   the   tow-path    instead   of   the  water,   except 


1 84  LOG-CAB IX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

when  he  tumbled  in.  Within  an  hour  James  heard 
the  captain,  — 

'*Hi,  Jim!     Boat  coming.     Steady." 

James  knew  it  as  well  as  the  captain,  and  designed 
to  pass  the  boat  with  signal  success.  But  somehow, 
he  could  scarcely  tell  how,  the  two  drivers  got  their 
lines  tangled,  interrupting  the  progress  of  the  mules. 
The  lines  were  soon  separated,  but  the  impetus  of 
Captain  Letcher's  boat,  in  the  delay,  pushed  it  up 
square  with  the  mules,  when  the  steersman  called  out, 
"  Hurrah,  Jim,  whip  up  that  team,  or  your  line  will 
catch  on  the  bridge."  There  was  a  waste-way  just 
ahead. 

•*  Ay!"  James  answered,  as  he  whipped  the  mules 
into  a  trot. 

"Steady,  steady!"  called  the  captain,  fearing  that 
James  was  rushing  into  trouble  by  too  much  speed. 
The  caution  was  too  late,  however.  Just  as  the  team 
reached  the  middle  of  the  bridge  the  lines  tightened, 
and  jerked  driver  and  mules  into  the  canal. 

"  Quick !  help ! "  shouted  the  captain,  and  every  man 
ran  to  their  rescue. 

"Hold  on,  Jim!"  cried  the  bowman,  meaning  that 
James  should  understand  deliverance  was  at  hand. 
James  was  holding  on  as  well  as  he  could,  with  two 
stupid  mules  to  manage  in  the  water.  For  some 
minutes  it  was  difficult  to  tell  how  the  affair  would 
terminate,  for  there  was  serious  danger  that  mules 
and  driver  would  go  to  the  bottom  together.  But  it 
had  always  been  James'  good  fortune  to  come  to  the 
top.  So  he  did  here  ;  and  he  was  soon  astride  the 
leading  mule,  urging  him  out  of  the  difficulty.     A  few 


A    CANAL  BOV,  1 85 


minutes  only  elapsed  before  all  were  rescued,  with  no 
injury  except  a  good  ducking. 

During  the  process  of  rescuing  the  unfortunate 
victims  of  the  accident,  there  was  no  jesting  or  light 
remarks,  but  one  serious,  earnest  effort  to  save  the 
mules,  and  to  rescue  James.  But  no  sooner  were  the 
sufferers  safe  on  the  tow-path  than  a  general  laughter 
and  merry  time  over  the  mishap  ensued. 

"  Yer  a  good  Baptist  now,  Jim,"  exclaimed  one  of 
the  steersmen,  terminating  his  explosive  laughter. 

"  Yer  see  how  we  'nitiate  greenhorns  into  canal 
bisniss,"  said  another  of  the  men. 

"I  kind  o'  thought  yer  was  a  goner  at  first,"  added 
a  third. 

Finally,  the  captain  said,  jocosely,  "Jim,  what  were 
you  doing  down  there  in  the  canal }  " 

"Taking  my  morning  bath,"  answered  James. 
"  Refreshing." 

*'  Washin*  the  mules,  I  reckoned,"  chimed  in  one  of 
the  men. 

"All  ready,  now!"  shouted  the  captain;  "Jim  has 
washed  himself,  and  is  now  ready  to  proceed  to  busi- 
ness.    All  aboard  !  "     And  they  were  off  in  a  jiffy. 

The  bantering  did  not  cease  with  that  day.  Many  a 
hearty  laugh  was  enjoyed  over  it  for  several  days,  and 
James  was  the  subject  of  many  jocose  remarks  ;  all  of 
which  served  to  keep  the  crew  in  good  humor.  James 
enjoyed  it  as  well  as  the  rest  of  them. 

At  "  Eleven  Mile  Lock,"  the  captain  ordered  a 
change  of  teams.  James  went  on  board  with  his 
mules,  and  the  other  driver  took  the  tow-path  with  his 
fresh  mules. 


1 86  LOG-CABLV   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Goin'  to  take  the  mules  into  yer  bunk  with  yer, 
as  yer  did  in  a-s\vimmin'  ? "  remarked  one  of  the 
hands. 

"  Put  up  your  team,  Jim,  and  then  come  on  deck," 
said  the  captain,  addressing  James ;  "  I  want  to  see 
you. 

James  took  good  care  of  his  mules,  and  went  on 
deck. 

"Jim,  I  hear  there  is  some  come-out  to  you,  and  if 
you  have  no  objections  I  would  like  to  make  up  my 
own  mind  in  regard  to  it.  It  is  a  long  ways  to  Pan- 
cake Lock,  and  this  will  be  a  good  time ;  so  I  should 
like  to  ask  you  a  few  questions." 

"Proceed,"  answered  James  ;  "but  be  sure  and  not 
ask  too  hard  ones." 

"  You  see,  I've  kept  school  some  in  the  backwoods 
of  Steuben  County,  Indiana,"  added  the  captain. 

"  Schoolmaster  and  captain,"  repeated  James. 
"  Honor  enough  for  one  family.  What  did  you 
teach  ? " 

"  Reading,  writing,  spelling,  geography,  arithmetic, 
and  grammar." 

"Go  ahead,  then,"  continued  James,  "and  examine 
me  in  these  branches.     I'll  answer  the  best  I  know." 

The  captain  proceeded  with  his  questions,  first  in 
arithmetic,  then  in  geography  and  grammar,  and 
James  answered  every  question  promptly. 

"You  are  a  trump,  Jim;  I've  heard  a  good  deal 
about  your  talents,  and  I  wanted  to  see  whether  it  was 
so,  or  not.  You'll  not  shame  your  relations  ;  I'll  own 
you  for  cousin,"  remarked  the  oaptain,  discontinuing 
his  questions. 


A    CAIVAL   BOV.  1 87 


"Now,  s'pose  I  put  a  few  questions  to  you,"  said 
James ;  ''  it's  a  poor  rule  that  won't  work  both 
ways." 

"As  many  as  you  choose,"  answered  the  captain. 

The  captain  could  not  answer  the  first  question  that 
James  put,  nor  the  second,  nor  third  ;  nor,  indeed,  any 
of  them.  James  had  studied  all  the  branches  named 
far  more  thoroughly  than  the  captain,  so  that  "  hard 
questions "  were  at  his  command.  He  intended  to 
confound  the  captain,  and  he  did. 

"  If  you'll  let  me  alone,  I'll  let  you  alone,"  remarked 
the  captain,  after  several  ineffectual  attempts  to  answer 
James's  questions. 

The  captain  did  not  know  so  much  as  he  thought  he 
did.  Because  he  had  taught  school  in  Indiana,  and 
studied  arithmetic,  grammar,  and  geography,  he 
thought  he  was  superior  even  to  James,  of  whom  he 
had  heard  large  stories.  A  few  years  ago  he  spoke  of 
the  matter  to  a  friend,  and  said,  "I  was  just  green 
enough  in  those  days  to  think  that  I  knew  it  all. 
You  see,  I  had  been  teacher  for  three  years  in  the 
backwoods  of  Steuben  County,  Indiana."  That  over- 
estimate of  himself  put  him  into  an  awkward  position 
before  James.  At  the  close  of  the  interview,  the  cap- 
tain said,  seriously : 

"Jim,  you've  too  good  a  head  on  you  to  be  a  wood- 
chopper,  or  a  canal  driver." 

"  Do  you  really  think  so  ?  "  asked  James. 

"Yes,  I  do,  honest." 

"  What  would  you  have  me  do .?  " 

"Teach  school.  Go  to  school  one  or  two  terms, 
and  then  you  will  be  qualified  to  teach  a  common 


1 88  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

school ;  and  after  that  you  can  make  anything  you 
have  a  mind  to  out  of  yourself." 

*'  That  is  more  easily  said  than  done,"  answered 
James.     "  What  do  you  think  of  my  going  to  sea." 

"  I  don't  think  much  of  it,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  Jim. 
It's  a  terrible  hard,  rough  life,  and  it's  a  pity  to  throw 
away  your  talents  on  the  deck  of  a  ship.  Never  do 
any  such  thing,  Jim.     That's  my  advice." 

''  But  I  don't  intend  to  serve  all  my  days,  if  I  become 
a  sailor,"  said  James  ;  "  I  intend  to  command.'' 

"Command  or  serve,  it  will  be  all  the  same  to 
you,  Jim.  You  will  be  greater  than  the  business, 
any  way,  and  that's  unfortunate  for  any  one.  It 
won't  help  the  matter  any  to  be  called  Captain  Gar- 
field." 

"  You  don't  know  what  a  longing  I  have  for  life  on 
the  ocean,"  added  James.  "  For  ever  so  long  I  have 
been  thinking  of  the  matter ;  but  mother  never  gave 
her  consent  till  lately,  and  then,  only  to  ship  on  Lake 
Erie." 

"  There's  where  your  mother  is  right.  She  knows 
your  abilities,  and  wants  you  should  follow  what 
your  abilities  fit  you  to  become.  I  shouldn't  think 
she  would  ever  consent  to  such  a  wild  project  as 
your  going  to  sea.  To  be  a  sailor,  when  you  might 
be  a  teacher  or  governor,  is  the  most  foolish  thing 
in  the  world." 

"  Now,  captain,"  replied  James,  as  if  doubting  his 
sincerity,  "do  you  really  think  that  my  talents  promise 
any  such  result  as  that  t " 

"  Certainly  I  do  ;  I  shouldn't  say  it  if  I  didn't  think 
so.     I  would  go  to  school  in  the  autumn,  and  teach 


A    CANAL  BOV.  189 


school  next  winter,  if  I  were  in  your  place.  You'll 
earn  money  enough  this  summer,  nearly,  to  pay  your 
way." 

The  conversation  ceased;  but  James's  thoughts  ran 
on.  He  began  to  wonder  whether  he  was  such  a  fool 
as  would  appear  from  the  captain's  remarks.  It  was 
quite  evident  that  Captain  Letcher  had  set  him  to 
thinking  in  the  right  direction.  If  he  did  possess 
talents  for  some  high  position,  he  was  a  fool,  surely, 
to  throw  them  away  for  nothing.  He  began  to  see 
it  in  that  light.  What  his  cousin  had  said  tallied  very 
well  with  what  several  other  people  had  told  him,  and 
he  began  to  think  that  all  of  them  could  not  be  wrong. 
"  In  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses,  every  word 
shall  be  established." 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

TRIUMPHS  ON  THE   TOW-PATH. 

]HE  boat  was  nearing  the  twenty-one  locks 
of  Akron. 

**  Make  the    first  lock  ready,"  cried  the 
■  captain  to  his  bowman.     It  was  ten  o'clock 
at  night. 

"  Ay  !  "  answered  the  bowman,  promptly. 
As  the  bowman  approached  the  lock,  a  voice  came 
through   the  darkness  from   the  bowman  of  another 
boat,  — 

"  Don't  turn  this  lock  ;  our  boat  is  just  around  the 
bend,  ready  to  enter." 

"  I  ivill  turn  it ;  we  got  here  first,"  answered  the 
bowman  of  the  "  Evening  Star,"  with  an  oath  that 
seemed  blacker  in  the  absence  of  the  sun. 

"  You  won't  turn  it  unless  you  are  stronger  than  we 
are,"  shouted  bowman  number  one,  adding  sufficient 
profanity  to  match  the  vocabulary  of  the  other. 

A  fight  was  imminent,  as  all  hands  on  board  saw, 
and  they  rallied  for  the  fracas.  Such  scenes  were 
common  on  the  canal.  The  boat  whose  bowman 
reached  the  lock  first  was  entitled  to  enter  first,  but 
when  two  bowmen  reached  the  lock  about  the  same 
190 


TRIUMPHS  ON  THE    TOW-PATH.  IQI 

time  a  dispute  was  almost  sure  to  arise,  the  result  of 
which  was  a  hand-to-hand  fight  between  the  two  crews. 
The  boat's  crew  that  came  to  the  top  of  the  pile  won 
the  lock.  Captains  were  usually  powerless  to  prevent 
these  contests,  however  well  disposed  they  might  be. 

Captain  Letcher's  bowman  commenced  turning  the 
gate  just  as  the  two  boats  came  up  so  near  that  their 
head-lights  shed  the  brightness  of  day  on  the  exciting 
scene. 

**  Say,  bowman,"  called  Captain  Letcher,  motioning 
with  his  hand  for  attention.  His  bowman  looked  up 
in  response. 

"  Were  you  here  first } "  Evidently  the  captain 
questioned  his  right  to  the  lock. 

"It's  hard  to  tell,"  replied  the  bowman;  "but 
we're  goin'  to  have  the  lock,  anyhow;"  and  the  ring 
of  his  voice  showed  determination  and  fight. 

"All  right  ;  just  as  you  say,"  answered  the  captain, 
supposing  that  no  interference  of  his  could  prevent  an 
encounter. 

The  men  stood  panting  for  the  fray,  like  war- 
horses.  They  seemed  to  be  in  just  the  right  mood 
for  a  contest.  It  was  a  new  scene  to  James,  and  he 
stood  wondering,  with  the  loud  oaths  bandied  falling 
on  his  ear.  After  having  restrained  himself  as  long 
as  he  could,  he  tapped  the  captain  on  his  shoulder, 
saying,  — 

"  See  here,  captain,  does  that  lock  belong  to  us  } " 

"  I  really  suppose,  according  to  law,  it  does  not ; 
but  we'll  have  it,  anyhow,"  was  the  captain's  reply. 

"  No,  we  will  not,"  answered  James,  with  a  good 
deal  of  determination. 


192  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Why  not  ? "  asked  the  captain,  very  much  sur- 
prised at  the  boy's  interference. 

**  Because  it  does  not  belong  to  us." 

"  That's  so,"  the  captain  repHed,  seeing  at  once  that 
James  was  right. 

Probably  the  captain  had  never  stopped  to  think 
whether  the  custom  of  fighting  for  a  lock  was  right 
or  not.  But  the  suggestion  of  James  seemed  to  act 
as  an  inspiration  on  him,  and  he  called  out  to  his 
bowman,  — 

"  Hold  on  !  hold  on,  boys  !  " 

The  men  looked  up  in  surprise,  as  if  wondering 
what  had  happened.  One  minute  more,  and  some 
hard  knocks  would  have  been  given. 

*'  Hold  on !  "  repeated  the  captain,  in  the  loudest 
tone  of  authority  that  he  could  command.  "  Let 
them  have  the  lock." 

The  order  was  obeyed ;  the  free  fight  was  pre- 
vented ;  the  other  boat  entered  the  lock ;  "  peace 
reigned  in  Warsaw."  James  commanded  the  situa- 
tion.    His  principles  prevailed. 

The  boat  was  all  night  getting  through  the  twenty- 
one  locks,  but  at  sunrise  was  on  Lake  Summit,  moving 
forward  under  as  bright  a  day-dawning  as  ever  sil- 
vered the  waters.  The  mules  were  moving  on  a  slow 
trot,  under  the  crack  of  the  driver's  whip,  and  every- 
thing was  hopeful.  Breakfast  was  called.  George 
Lee,  the  steersman,  came  out  and  sat  down  to  the 
table,  and  the  first  word  he  spoke  was,  — 

"Jim,  what's  the  matter  with  ye  .•* " 

"  Nothing ;  I  never  felt  better  in  my  life,"  replied 
James. 


TRIUMPHS  ON  THE   TOW-PATH.  193 


*'  What  did  you  give  up  the  lock  for  last  night  ? " 

"Because  it  didn't  belong  to  us." 

"Jim,"  continued  Lee,  in  a  tone  of  bitterness,  ac- 
companied with  his  usual  profanity,  "  yer  are  a  cow- 
ard ;  yer  aint  fit  to  be  a  boatman.  Yer  may  do  to 
chop  wood  or  milk  cows,  but  a  man  or  a  boy  isn't  fit 
for  a  boat  who  won't  fight  for  his  rights." 

James  only  smiled  at  his  fellow-boatman,  and  went 
on  with  his  breakfast,  making  no  reply.  The  captain 
heard  the  remarks,  and  admired  the  more  the  courage, 
coolness,  and  principle  of  his  boy-driver.  He  saw  that 
there  was  a  magnanimous  soul  under  that  dirty  shirt, 
and  he  enjoyed  the  evidence  of  its  reign. 

The  boat  reached  Beaver,  and  a  steamer  was  about 
to  tow  her  up  to  Pittsburg,  when  the  following  inci- 
dent occurred,  just  as  the  captain  describes  it. 

James  was  standing  on  deck,  with  the  setting- 
pole  against  his  shoulders,  and  several  feet  away 
stood  Murphy,  one  of  the  boat-hands,  a  big,  burly 
fellow  of  thirty-five,  when  the  steamboat  threw  the 
line,  and,  owing  to  a  sudden  lurch  of  the  boat,  it 
whirled  over  the  boy's  shoulders,  and  flew  in  the 
direction  of  the  boatman. 

"  Look  out.  Murphy ! "  shouted  James ;  but  the 
rope  had  anticipated  him,  and  knocked  Murphy's  hat 
off  into  the  river. 

"It  was  an  accident.  Murphy,"  exclaimed  James, 
by  way  of  excuse,   "I'm  very  sorry." 

"  I'll  make  yer  sorry,"  bellowed  Murphy,  thor- 
oughly mad,  and  like  a  reckless  bull  he  plunged  at 
James,  with  his  head  down,  thinking  to  knock  him 
over,  perhaps,  into  the  water,  where  his  hat  had  gone ; 


194  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

but  James  stepped  nimbly  aside,  and  dealt  him  a 
heavy  blow  behind  the  ear,  tumbling  him  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  boat,  among  the  copper  ore.  Thinking  to 
bring  hostilities  to  a  sudden  close,  he  leaped  upon 
Murphy,  and  held  him  down. 

*'  Pound  the  fool,  Jim,"  cried  the  captain.  But 
James  had  him  fast  in  his  grip,  so  that  the  fellow 
could  not  harm  him,  and  he  refused  to  strike.  He 
only  said,  — 

"  I  have  him,  now." 

**  If  he  has  no  more  sense  than  to  get  mad  at  acci- 
dents, give  it  to  him.     Why  don't  you  strike  t  " 

*'  Because  he's  down,  and  in  my  power,"  answered 
the  noble  boy.  He  never  would  have  it  said  that  he 
struck  a  man  save  in  self-defence  ;  and  it  is  not  self- 
defence  to  strike  a  man  when  he  can  be  restrained 
without  striking. 

"  Got  enough.  Murphy  }  You  can  get  up  when  you 
have,"  said  James  to  his  conquered  antagonist. 

"  Yis,  'nuff,"  answered  Murphy.  James  rose,  and 
allowed  his  assailant  to  rise  also ;  then,  extending 
his  hand,  in  the  magnanimous  spirit  of  a  victor,  he 
said,  — 

"  Murphy,  give  us  your  hand." 

And  they  shook  hands,  and  were  fast  friends  there- 
after. From  that  time  James  moved  among  the  crew 
not  as  a  greenhorn  and  coward,  but  as  a  boy-man,  — 
a  boy  in  age,  but  a  man  in  action  ;  a  boy  in  physi- 
cal appearance,  but  a  man  in  convictions  and  gener- 
ous spirit. 

Among  the  boatmen  was  one  Harry  Brown,  a 
good-hcartcd,    rough,    dissipated    fellow,    who    had   a 


TRIUMPHS   ON  THE    TOW-PATH.  1 95 

Strong  liking  for  James,  and  would  do  almost  any- 
thing for  him.  Harry  was  impetuous,  and  whiskey 
often  increased  his  impetuosity,  so  that  he  was  fre- 
quently in  trouble. 

*'  Look  here,  Harry,  it's  a  little  rough  for  you  to  be 
in  rows  so  often  ;  let  whiskey  alone,  and  you'll  not 
be  in  trouble  half  so  much,"  said  James  to  him,  in  a 
kind  way.  If  any  one  else  on  board  had  said  that, 
Harry  would  have  resented  it  and  told  him  to 
**mind  his  own  business."  But  he  pleasantly  said  to 
James, — 

**  That's  so,  Jim  ;  I'd  giv  a  pile  to  be  like  yer." 

"You  can  be,  if  you  have  a  mind  to,"  replied 
James.  **  Whiskey  is  the  last  stuff  I  should  think  of 
drinking,  Harry ;  sooner  drink  the  dirty  water  in  this 
canal." 

*'  Yer  are  a  trump,  Jim." 

**rm  just  what  I  am,"  replied  James,  "and  you 
don't  begin  to  be  what  you  might  be,  Harry.  Your 
generous  soul  could  make  sunshine  all  about  you,  only 
break  your  bottle." 

This  compliment  tickled  Harry  in  the  right  place, 
and  he  concluded  that  James  was  rehearsing  more 
truth  than  poetry.  James  saw  that  he  held  the  key 
to  the  rough  boatman's  heart,  and  he  proceeded  : 

"  I  don't  see  why  boatmen  can't  be  as  decent  as 
other  people,  but  they  are  not.  They  are  about  the 
hardest  set  I  ever  saw  —  drinking,  swearing,  bragging, 
fighting.     Isn't  it  so,  Harry  t  " 

> 

"Yer  about  right,  Jim,"  Harry  answered,  with  a 
comical  shrug  of  his  shoulders. 

"  If  I  was  captain  of  a  boat,  I  would  have  a  new 


196  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

order  of  things,  or  fling  up  my  commission,"  James 
continued. 

"  I'll  bet  yer,  Jim  ;  we'd  all  behave  well  to  please 
yer,"  interrupted  Harry,  acquiescing  in  the  supposi- 
tion. 

'*  Well,  now,  Harry,  don't  you  think  yourself  that  it 
would  be  a  great  improvement,  on  canal  boats,  to  give 
whiskey  a  wide  berth  ?  " 

''True  as  preachin',  Jim." 

"  And  yet  you  continue  to  make  yourself  a  disgrace 
to  your  sex,  and  are  in  hot  water  half  your  time.  Isn't 
it  so,  Harry  .''  " 

Harry  shook  his  sides  over  James'  plainness  of 
speech,  and  admitted  that  the  boy  was  right. 

•*  I  hate  this  beastly  way  of  living,"  continued 
James,  "  and  I  don't  see  why  a  fellow  should  act  like  a 
brute,  when  he  is  a  man.  I  don't  believe  that  you 
respect  yourself,  Harry." 

**  Right  agin  !  "  shouted  Harry.  "  Yer  see,  if  I  did 
'spect  myself,  I  shouldn't  do  as  I  do.  That's  the 
trouble,  —  I  have  no  'spect  for  myself."  And  the 
poor,  weak  fellow  never  spoke  a  plainer  truth  in  his 
life.  Proper  self-respect  will  lead  such  devotees  of 
vice  to  reform,  and  be  men. 

"  Yer  see,  Jim,"  added  Harry,  "  I  couldn't  be  like 
yer,  if  I  tried." 

"That's  bosh,"  replied  James.  "Just  as  if  a  man 
can't  be  decent  when  he  tries  !  You  can't  make  that 
go,  Harry.  Throw  whisky  and  tobacco  overboard,  as 
Murphy's  hat  went,  and  the  thing  is  done." 

**  So  you'd  take  all  a  feller's  comforts  away,  Jim, 
t'backcr  and  all,"  interposed  Harry. 


TRIUMPHS   OF   THE    TOW-PATH.  1 97 

"  Yes  ;  and  this  awful  profanity  that  I  hear,  also," 
retorted  James.  "  I  would  make  a  clean  sweep  of  the 
whole  thing.     What  good  does  it  all  do  .'^  " 

*'  What  good  !  humph  !  "  exclaimed  Harry.  *'  Yer 
are  not  fool  'nough  to  think  we  'spect  to  do  good  in 
this  way ! "  And  Harry  laughed  again  heartily, 
admitting  the  truth  of  James'  position,  without  pro- 
posing to  defend  himself. 

*'  What  do  you  do  it  for,  then  }  " 

"Do  lifor!  don't  do  it  for  nothin',  Jim,"  responded 
Harry.     "  Nary  good  or  evil  we  are  after." 

"  You're  a  bigger  fool  than  I  thought  you  were," 
added  James.  "  Making  a  brute  of  yourself  for 
notJiiug.  If  that  isn't  being  a  fool,  then  I  don't  know 
what  a  fool  is." 

Harry  laughed  more  loudly  than  ever,  as  he  turned 
away,  accepting  the  advice  of  James  in  the  same  spirit 
in  which  it  was  tendered.  That  he  was  not  at  all 
offended  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he  was  heard  to 
say  to  Murphy  afterwards,  — 

**  Jim  is  a  great  feller.  I've  an  orful  itchin'  to  see 
what  sort  of  a  man  he'll  make.  The  way  he  rakes  me 
down  on  whiskey,  t'backer,  and  swearin',  is  a  caution ; 
and  he  don't  say  a  word  that  ain't  true  ;  that's  the 
trouble.  And  he  says  it  in  sich  a  v/ay,  that  yer  knows 
he  means  it.  Jist  think,  Murphy  ;  a  boy  on  this  old 
canal  as  don't  drink  rum,  or  smoke,  or  chew,  or  swear, 
or  fight,  —  would  yer  believe  it,  if  yer  didn't  see  it }  " 

Murphy  acknowledged  that  it  was  an  anomaly  on 
the  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  canal,  and  hinted  that 
he  should  like  to  know  where  the  ** feller"  came 
from. 


iqS         log-cabixV  to  white  house. 

**  I  like  him,  though,  Murphy,"  Harry  continued. 
"  I  allers  liked  a  man  to  show  his  colors.  I  like  to 
know  where  a  feller  is,  if  he  be  agin  me.  And  Jim  is 
so  cute ;  he'll  beat  the  whole  crowd  on  us  tellin' 
stories,  only  they  are  not  nasty,  like  the  rest  on  us  tell. 
Isn't  he  a  deep  one  ^  He  knows  more'n  all  the  crew 
put  together,  and  two  or  three  more  boat-loads  added, 
into  the  bargain." 

James  had  fairly  established  himself  in  the  respect 
and  confidence,  not  only  of  the  sober  and  intelligent 
captain,  but  of  the  drunken,  ignorant  crew,  as  well. 
On  the  whole,  they  were  proud  of  him.  Said  the 
steersman  to  the  bowman  of  another  boat,  "  We've 
got  a  feller  in  our  crew  just  the  biggest  trump  yer 
ever  see.  Nary  drinks  whiskey,  sm.okes,  chews, 
swears,  or  fights,  —  d'ye  believe  it,  old  feller.?"  and 
he  slapped  the  bowman  on  the  back  as  he  said  it. 

"  Where'd  he  cum  from  }  "  the  bowman  inquired. 

"  That's  what  we'd  like  ter  know,  yer  see :  where  he 
cum  from,  and  how  he  happen'd  to  cum,"  responded 
the  steersman.  "  But  he's  a  jolly  good  fellow,  strong 
as  a  lion,  could  lick  any  on  us  if  he's  a  mind  to  ;  and 
he's  a  peeler  for  work,  too  ;  ain't  afraid  to  dirty  his- 
self ;  and  buckles  right  down  to  bisness,  he  does,  jist 
like  any  on  us.     I  never  seed  jest  such  a  boy." 

That  the  captain  was  won  by  the  amount  and 
quality  of  James'  Vv-ork,  as  well  as  by  the  reliability  of 
his  character,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he  pro- 
moted him  to  bowman  at  the  end  of  his  first  trip. 
We  mistrust  that,  in  addition  to  the  captain's  con- 
fidence in  his  ability  for  the  position,  he  exercised 
military  tactics  in  the   appointment,    and    concluded 


TRIUMPHS  ON  THE   TOW-PATH.  1 99 

that  it  would  put  an  end  to  brutal  fights  for  the  pos- 
session of  locks. 

By  the  confession  of  captain  and  crew,  most  of 
whom  are  still  alive,  James  was  a  successful  peace- 
maker on  the  canal  boat,  and  his  influence  elevated 
the  rough  boatmen  to  some  extent.  He  did  it,  too, 
without  making  an  enemy,  but  real  friends  of  all.  His 
forte  lay  in  that  direction. 

The  testimony  of  the  captain  is,  that  James  did 
everything  thoroughly  as  well  as  promptly  ;  that  he 
was  as  conscientious  as  he  was  resolute,  declining  to 
participate  in  any  project  that  he  considered  wrong ; 
that  he  possessed  remarkable  tact  in  his  business  as 
well  as  in  dealing  with  men  ;  and  that  he  was  a  model 
boy  in  every  respect,  — ''  not  talkative,  but  very  intel- 
ligent ;  and  when  drawn  into  conversation,  he  sur- 
prised us  by  the  depth  of  his  knowledge  on  the  topics 
of  the  day." 

On  the  canal  boat  James  had  no  books  to  read  ;  and 
this  was  a  serious  privation.  Occasionally,  the  cap- 
tain had  an  opportunity  to  purchase  newspapers,  and 
these  James  read  through  and  through.  The  captain 
thinks,  however,  that  the  absence  of  reading-matter 
was  fully  made  up  to  him  by  the  opportunity  and  de- 
mand for  the  exercise  of  his  observation.  He  studied 
men  and  business,  and  asked  a  multitude  of  questions. 
Patrick  Henry  once  said  that  he  owed  his  success  to 
"studying  men  more  than  books."  Garfield  studied 
men  more  than  books,  and  the  captain  aided  him 
materially  by  answering  his  questions.  Perhaps  it 
was  an  advantage  for  him,  in  the  circumstances,  to  be 
where  no  books  could  be  had  for  love  or  money. 


200  LOG-CAB  I lY  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

« — — ' 

James  appeared  to  possess  a  singular  affinity  for  the 
water.  He  fell  into  the  water  fourteen  times  during 
the  two  or  three  months  he  served  on  the  canal  boat. 
It  was  not  because  he  was  so  clumsy  that  he  could 
not  keep  right  side  up,  nor  because  he  did  not  under- 
stand the  business  ;  rather,  we  think,  it  arose  from  his 
thorough  devotion  to  his  work.  He  gave  more  atten- 
tion to  the  labor  in  hand  than  he  did  to  his  own 
safety.  He  was  one  who  never  thought  of  himself 
when  he  was  serving  another.  He  thought  only  of 
what  he  had  in  hand  to  do.  His  application  was  in- 
tense, and  his  perseverance  royal. 

The  last  time  he  fell  into  the  water  he  came  near 
losing  his  life.  It  was  on  one  very  rainy  night,  when 
he  was  called  up  to  take  his  turn  at  the  bow.  The 
boat  was  just  leaving  one  of  those  long  reaches  of 
slack-water  which  abound  in  the  Ohio  and  Pennsyl- 
vania Canal.  James  was  awakened  out  of  a  very  sound 
sleep,  and  he  responded  with  his  eyes  half  open, 
scarcely  comprehending  as  yet  the  situation,  and  took 
his  stand  upon  the  platform  below  the  bow-deck.  He 
began  to  uncoil  a  rope  to  steady  the  boat  through  a 
lock  it  was  approaching.  The  rope  caught  somehow 
on  the  edge  of  the  deck,  and  resisted  several  pulls  that 
he  made  to  extricate  it.  At  last  it  yielded,  but,  in 
the  rebound,  sent  him  headlong  over  the  bow  into  the 
water.  It  was  a  very  dark  night,  and  he  went  down 
into  the  water,  which  was  blacker  than  the  night.  In 
the  mean  while  the  boat  was  sweeping  on,  and  no 
mortal  knew  of  his  mishap,  and  not  a  helping  hand 
was  near.  Death  seemed  inevitable.  Fortunately  his 
hand  seized  the  rope  in  the   darkness,  by   accident, 


TRIUMPHS  ON   THE    TOW-PATH.  201 

men  will  say,  but  by  providential  guidance  really,  and 
he  drew  himself,  hand  over  hand,  upon  deck.  He  saw 
that  he  had  been  saved  as  by  a  miracle.  The  rope 
would  have  been  of  no  service  to  him,  only  it  caught 
in  a  crevice  on  the  edge  of  the  deck  and  held  fast. 
He  stood  there  dripping  in  his  wet  clothes,  his 
thoughts  running  thus  : 

''What  saved  me  that  time.?  It  must  have  been 
God.  I  could  not  have  saved  myself.  Just  a  kink  in 
the  rope  catching  in  that  crevice  saved  me,  nothing 
else.  That  was  almost  miraculous,  and  God  does 
miraculous  things.  He  thinks  my  life  is  worth  saving, 
and  I  ought  not  to  throw  it  away  on  a  sea-faring  life, 
and  I  won't.  I  will  renounce  all  such  ideas  and  get 
an  education." 

During  the  time  that  he  was  thus  reflecting  he  was 
trying  to  throw  the  rope  so  that  it  would  catch  in  the 
crevice.  Again  and  again  he  coiled  the  rope  and 
threw  it ;  but  it  would  neither  kink  nor  catch.  Re- 
peated trials  satisfied  him  that  supernatural  causes  put 
the  kinked  rope  into  his  hand,  and  saved  his  life. 

That  accident  made  a  very  deep  impression  upon 
his  mind.  His  thoughts  more  than  ever  turned  to  his 
home  and  praying  mother.  He  knew  that  every  day 
his  dear  mother  remembered  him  at  the  throne  of 
grace.  He  had  no  more  doubt  of  it  than  he  had  of 
his  existence.  "Was  it  her  prayers.-*  "  He  could  not 
evade  the  inquiry.  He  thought  of  all  her  anxieties 
and  wise  counsels,  and  her  undying  love.  '*  Such  a 
mother  !  "  The  thought  would  force  itself  uppermost 
in  spite  of  himself.  He  felt  rebuked,  although  he  had 
been  a  good,  obedient  son.     He  had  not  been  tender 


202  LOG-CABIX   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

enough  of  his  mother's  feelings  ;  he  would  be  in  future. 
He  would  quit  the  canal  boat  forever. 

It  was  but  a  few  weeks  after  the  last  immersion 
when  James  was  quite  severely  attacked  by  ague,  a 
disease  that  prevailed  somewhat  in  that  region.  It 
prostrated  him  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was  unfitted 
for  labor ;  and  this  offered  a  favorable  opportunity  for 
him  to  carry  out  the  resolution  of  that  night  of 
disaster. 

"  I  must  go  home,  captain,"  said  James. 

"  It's  a  wise  conclusion,  Jim.  You  are  too  unwell 
for  work,  and  there's  no  place  like  home  for  sick  folks. 
I  don't  want  to  part  with  you,  and  the  men  will  be 
sorry  to  have  you  go  ;  but  I  think  you'd  better  go." 

**  I  regret  to  leave  your  service,  captain,  for  I've  en- 
joyed it ;  but  I've  been  thinking  of  your  advice,  and  I 
guess  I  shall  put  it  in  practice." 

"  You  can't  do  a  wiser  thing,  Jim  ;  and  I  wouldn't 
lose  a  day  about  it.  As  soon  as  you  are  able,  I'd  go 
to  studying,  if  I  was  in  your  place." 

The  captain  settled  with  James,  paying  him  at  the 
rate  of  twelve  dollars  a  month  while  he  was  driver, 
and  eighteen  dollars  a  month  while  he  was  bowman  ; 
and  James  started  for  home. 

James  was  never  so  melancholy  in  his  life  as  he  was 
on  the  way  home.  The  ague  had  taken  his  strength 
away,  and  made  him  almost  as  limp  as  a  child.  Then, 
he  was  thinking  more  of  his  duties,  and  his  good 
mother.  He  had  not  written  to  her  in  his  absence, 
between  two  and  three  months,  and  he  rather  rebuked 
himself  for  the  neglect.  "True,"  he  thought,  "I 
have  been  on   the  wing  all   the  time,   and  there  has 


TRIUMPHS  ON  THE    TOW-PATH.  203 

been  little  opportunity  for  writing  ;  "  and  so  he  par- 
tially excused  himself  for  the  neglect.  His  mother 
supposed  that  he  was  serving  on  a  schooner  some- 
where on  Lake  Erie.  He  ought  to  have  informed  her 
of  his  whereabouts.  So  his  thoughts  were  busy  during 
his  lonely  journey  home.  It  was  nearly  dark  when  he 
left  the  boat,  so  that  he  did  not  reach  home  until 
eleven  o'clock  at  night. 

As  he  drew  near  the  house,  he  could  see  the  light 
of  the  fire  through  the  window.  His  heart  beat  quick 
and  strong ;  he  knew  that  it  would  be  a  glad  surprise 
to  his  mother.  Looking  in  at  the  window,  he  beheld 
her  kneeling  in  the  corner,  with  a  book  open  in  the 
chair  before  her.  Was  she  reading }  He  looked 
again  :  her  eyes  were  turned  heavenward ;  she  was 
praying.  He  listened,  and  he  distinctly  heard,  "  Oh, 
turn  unto  me,  and  have  mercy  upon  me !  Give  Thy 
strength  unto  Thy  servant,  and  save  the  son  of  Thine 
handmaid !  "  That  was  enough  ;  he  waited  to  hear  no 
more.  Mother  and  son  were  united  again  in  loving 
embrace ;  and  the  tears  that  were  shed  were  tears 
of  joy. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 
THE    TURNING-POINT. 

jHY,  James  ! "  exclaimed  his  mother,  when 
the  excitement  of  their  meeting  was  over, 
''you  look  sick." 
"  I  am  sick  ;  and  that's  the  reason  I  came 
home.  It's  been  a  very  hard  walk  for  me,  I  am  so 
weak." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  sick  .'* "  inquired  his 
mother,  with  much  anxiety. 

*'  Not  long.  I've  got  the  ague ;  had  it  a  week  or 
more." 

"  The  ague  !  "  answered  his  mother,  astonished  ; 
"  I  didn't  know  that  they  ever  had  the  ague  on  a 
ship." 

"  I  have  not  been  on  a  ship,  but  on  the  canal." 
"On  the  canal!"  rejoined  his  mother,  still  more 
surprised.     "  I  thought  you  were  on  the  lake  all  this 
time.       How    did    it   happen    that   you  were   on    the 
canal  ?" 

James  rehearsed  his  experience  on  the  schooner  that 

he  boarded,  especially  narrating  his   encounter  with 

the    captain,   and    his   haste  to    escape   from    such    a 

demon ;  how  he  met  his  cousin,  Amos  Letcher,  of  the 

204 


THE   TURNING-POINT.  205 

canal-boat  "  Evening  Star,"  and  bargained  with  him 
for  the  position  of  driver,  not  omitting  his  hair-breadth 
escapes  on  the  boat ;  concluding  by  a  description  of 
the  exposures  of  the  business,  in  consequence  of  which 
he  was  attacked  by  the  ague. 

His  mother  listened  to  the  narration,  which  was 
more  interesting  to  her  than  a  novel,  remarking  at  the 
close  of  it,  — 

"  God  has  wonderfully  preserved  you,  and  brought 
you  back,  in  answer  to  my  prayers." 

James  was  too  full  to  make  much  reply.  He  man- 
aged, however,  to  say,  "  Nobody  saved  me  from  drown- 
ing, that  dark  night,  but  God."  This  brief  remark 
sent  a  thrill  of  pleasure  through  his  mother's  heart. 
With  all  his  obedience  and  excellence  of  character, 
James  had  not  given  before  so  much  evidence  as  this 
that  he  recognized  his  personal  obligations  to  God. 
His  mother  construed  it  into  genuine  religious  con- 
viction, and  she  was  rejoiced  beyond  measure  by  the 
revelation. 

"  You  must  say  no  more  to-night ;  you  must  go  to 
bed,  and  get  some  rest,"  added  his  mother.  ''  In  the 
morning  I  will  see  how  you  are,  and  what  can  be 
done  for  you." 

Both  retired  ;  his  mother  to  a  restless  bed,  being  too 
full  of  joy  and  grateful  thoughts  to  sleep.  She  lived 
over  her  whole  life  again,  during  that  night,  with  all 
its  checkered  scenes  ;  and  she  penetrated  the  future, 
in  imagination,  and  beheld  her  dear  boy  dignifying  his 
manhood  by  an  honorable  and  useful  career.  "■  If  he 
could  only  become  a  preacher  !  "  The  thought  grew 
upon  her  in  the  *'  night  watches."     It  became  a  source 


2o6  LOG-CABLX   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

of  real  delight  to  her ;  and  she  thanked  God,  again 
and  again,  for  his  goodness.  She  found  more  enjoy- 
ment in  wakefulness,  and  her  thoughts,  on  that  night, 
than  she  could  have  had  in  the  sweetest  sleep.  It 
was  the  silent  communing  of  a  truly  Christian  heart. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  Mrs.  Garfield  was  at  the 
bedside  of  her  son,  anxious  to  learn  how  he  was.  He 
was  in  a  sound  sleep.  She  waited  until  the  sunlight 
was  bathing  his  brow,  when  she  entered  his  room 
again.     Her  presence  awoke  him. 

"  You've  had  a  sweet  sleep,  James,"  she  said,  in- 
quiringly. 

**  The  best  sleep  I've  had  for  a  week,"  James  an- 
swered. "  I  was  dreadful  tired  last  night.  I  feel  better 
this  morning." 

The  ague  is  a  fitful  disease,  and  attacks  its  victims 
periodically,  leaving  them  comparatively  comfortable 
and  strong  on  some  days.  James  was  really  very  com- 
fortable on  that  morning, — there  was  no  visible  appear- 
ance of  the  ague  upon  him, — and  he  proposed  to  get 
up,  dress  himself,  and  look  about  the  liome  that  seemed 
more  pleasant  to  him  than  ever.  Returning  to  the 
kitchen,  Mrs.  Garfield  prepared  some  simple  remedy 
for  him,  such  as  pioneers  were  wont  to  administer  to 
ague-patients.  Pioneers  were  more  or  less  familiar 
with  the  disease,  and  understood  somewhat  how  to 
manage  it.  In  severe  cases  a  physician  was  called  in 
to  administer  calomel  — that  was  considered  a  specific 
at  that  time  —  until  salivation  was  produced. 

James  was  not  comfortable  long.  On  the  following 
day  a  violent  attack  of  the  disease  prostrated  him  com- 
pletely. 


THE   TURNING-POINT.  20/ 

**  There's  a  hard  bunch  on  my  left  side,  and  pain," 
said  James  to  his  mother. 

*'  That's  the  ague-cake,"  replied  his  mother,  on 
examining  the  spot.  **  That  always  appears  in  severe 
cases."  The  name  was  given  by  pioneers  to  the 
hardness  ;  perhaps  physicians  called  it  by  some  other 
name. 

"  You  are  pretty  sick,  my  son,"  continued  Mrs.  Gar- 
field, "  and  I  think  you  must  have  the  doctor.  Don't 
you  think  you  better  have  the  doctor } " 

"  Perhaps  so  ;  just  as  you  think  about  it,"  was  James' 
reply.  * 

The  physician  of  a  neighboring  village  was  sent  for ; 
and  he  put  the  patient  through  the  usual  calomel 
treatment,  salivating  him,  and  really  causing  him  to 
suffer  more  by  the  remedy  than  by  the  disease.  For 
weeks  the  big,  strong  boy  lay  almost  as  weak  and 
helpless  as  a  child.  It  was  a  new  and  rough  experi- 
ence for  James.  It  was  the  first  sickness  he  ever  had  ; 
and  to  lie  in  bed  and  toss  with  fever,  and  shake  with 
ague,  by  turns,  was  harder  for  him  than  chopping 
wood  or  planing  boards.  But  for  the  wise  manage- 
ment and  tender  care  of  his  mother  his  experience 
would  have  been  much  more  trying  yet. 

*'  How  fortunate  it  was,  James,  that  you  came  home 
when  you  did,"  remarked  his  mother. 

"  It  was  so,  though  I  should  have  come  home  before 
long,  if  I  had  been  well,"  replied  James. 

''  Then  you  thought  of  giving  up  work  on  the 
canal  }  "  continued  Mrs.  Garfield. 

"Yes;  I  got  about  enough  of  it.  Amos  told  me 
that  I  was  a  fool  to  follow  such  business  when  I  am 


208  LOG-CAB IX   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

capable  of  something  better,"  replied  James,  dropping 
just  a  word  concerning  his  interview  with  Captain 
Letcher. 

*'  I  should  agree  with  Amos  on  that,"  remarked  his 
mother,  smiling.     "You  knew  that  before." 

"  If  God  saved  my  life  on  that  night,  I  didn't  know 
but  he  saved  it  for  something,"  added  James;  another 
indication  of  higher  aspirations,  that  gratified  his 
mother  very  much. 

''  If  God  did  not  save  your  life,  it  would  be  hard  tell- 
ing who  did,"  responded  Mrs.  Garfield.  *'  None  of  us 
should  be  blind  to  the  lessons  of  His  Providence. 
It's  my  opinion  that  the  Lord  didn't  mean  you  should 
go  to  sea,  and  so  he  headed  you  off  by  that  monster  of 
a  captain." 

"  Perhaps  so,"  James  answered,  in  a  tone  that  might 
indicate  either  indifference  or  weakness. 

"  If  God  answers  my  prayers,  James,  you'll  get  an 
education,  and  be  a  teacher  or  preacher.  My  cup  will 
run  over  when  I  see  you  in  such  a  position." 

*'  What  if  I  should  be  a  lawyer,'-'  remarked  James. 

"Well,  I  shall  not  object  to  that,  if  you  are  a  good 
man.  A  wicked  lawyer  is  almost  as  bad  as  a  sailor. 
Above  all  things,  I  want  you  should  feel  that  the 
Lord  has  \\i^  first  claim  upon  your  love  and  service. 
Don't  you  ever  think,  James,  that  you  ought  to  give 
your  heart  to  Him,  and  try  for  a  more  useful  life  .<* " 

This  question  was  unexpected  to  James,  at  the 
time,  although  such  interrogations  had  often  been  put 
to  him  formerly.  Indeed,  the  inquiry  that  Mrs.  Gar- 
field put  was  unexpected  to  herself,  for  she  did  not 
intend  to  put  such  a  question  when  the  conversation 


THE  TURNING-POINT.  209 

began.  She  expected  to  come  to  it  sometime,  how- 
ever. She  was  feeHng  her  way 'along,  and  leading  her 
boy  as  best  she  could ;  yet,  James  answered,  — 

"I've  thought  more  about  it,  lately." 

'*  I  hope  you  will  continue  to  think  about  it,  my  son. 
It  is  the  greatest  thing  you  can  think  about.  If  you 
will  only  consecrate  your  powers  to  God,  I  know  that 
you  will  make  the  best  possible  use  of  them  ;  and 
you  won't  make  such  use  of  them  unless  you  do 
that." 

Mrs.  Garfield  was  very  discreet,  and  thought  it  not 
best  to  press  the  matter  too  persistently,  but  leave 
James  to  his  own  reflections.  She  was  confident  that 
the  Lord  had  taken  him  in  hand,  and  was  leading 
him  in  a  way  the  son  knew  not.  She  was  greatly 
encouraged,  and  her  prayers  were  more  earnest  than 
ever  for  his  conversion  to  Christ. 

The  weeks  dragged  heavily  along,  and  winter  set 
in.  James  was  still  sick,  but  convalescent.  A  few 
weeks  more,  according  to  his  improved  symptoms, 
and  he  would  be  well  enough  for  business,  or  school. 

The  winter  school  near  Mrs.  Garfield's  began  the 
first  week  in  December,  and  it  was  taught  by  a  young 
man  by  the  name  of  Samuel  D.  Bates.  He  was  a 
person  of  ability,  a  very  earnest  Christian,  looking 
forward  to  the  ministry  in  connection  with  the  Dis- 
ciples' Church.  He  was,  also,  an  energetic,  working 
young  man,  possessing  large  common  sense,  and 
intensely  interested  in  benefiting  the  young  people, 
intellectually  and  spiritually.  From  the  commence- 
ment of  the  school  he  was  very  popular,  too. 

Mrs.  Garfield  made  his  acquaintance,  and  at  once 


2IO  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

concluded  that  he  was  just  the  person  to  influence 
James  to  aspire  to  an  education.  She  could  not  help 
him  herself,  but  her  faith  that  God  would  open  the 
way  for  him  to  go  to  school  was  unfaltering.  She 
improved  the  first  opportunity  to  tell  Mr.  Bates  about 
James,  —  his  sickness,  frame  of  mind,  and  aspirations. 
She  frankly  announced  to  him  that  she  wanted  he 
should  bring  all  his  influence  upon  James  to  induce 
him  to  strive  for  an  education.  The  teacher  readily 
consented,  for  that  was  a  kind  of  business  in  which  he 
delighted,  to  help  young  men  onward  and  upward. 
His  first  call  upon  James  was  immediate,  though  he 
did  not  announce  the  real  object  he  had  in  view, 
thinking  it  would  not  be  wise. 

"  Mr.  Bates  is  a  very  interesting  man,  James," 
remarked  Mrs.  Garfield,  after  the  teacher  left.  "  I 
don't  wonder  the  scholars  like  him." 

"■  I  like  him  very  much,"  replied  James.  "  I  hope 
he  will  come  in  here  often.  I  wish  I  was  able  to  go 
to  school  to  him." 

"  I  wish  you  could  ;  but  Providence  orders  other- 
wise, and  it  will  be  all  for  the  best,  I  have  no  doubt. 
Mr.  Bates  is  working  his  way  into  the  ministry.  He 
teaches  school  in  order  to  earn  money  to  pay  his  bills. 
That  is  what  you  could  do.  If  you  could  go  to  school 
a  few  months,  you  could  teach  school  next  winter,  and, 
in  that  way,  earn  money  for  further  schooling." 

"  I  don't  know  as  I  should  be  contented  in  that 
occupation,"  responded  James.  "  Once  in  a  while, 
mother,  I  have  a  strong  desire  to  go  to  sea  again. 
There  is  something  about  the  water  that  fascinates 
me.      The  sight  of  a  ship  fills  my  eye  ;   indeed,  the 


THE   TURNING-POINT.  211 

thought  of  a  ship  awakens  a  strong  desire  within,  to 
tread  its  deck  and  handle  its  ropes." 

"  But  you  are  not  disposed  to  return  to  the  canal, 
or  to  follow  a  sea-faring  life  ? "  inquired  his  mother, 
surprised  at  his  frank  avowal.  She  had  begun  to 
think  that  he  had  abandoned  all  thoughts  of  the  sea. 

"  I  should  like  it,  if  I  thought  it  was  best,"  he 
answered. 

**  It  is  not  best,  James ;  I  can  see  that  plainly." 

"  Since  I  have  got  better,  my  desire  for  the  se^  has 
returned,  in  a  measure,"  added  James,  "  causing  me  to 
ask  myself  if  I  shall  not  be  disappointed  if  I  abandon 
the  purpose  altogether." 

''Not  at  all,"  responded  Mrs.  Garfield.  ''When 
you  once  get  engaged  in  study  you  will  like  it  far 
better  than  you  can  the  sea,  I  am  sure  ;  and  teaching 
school  is  a  business  that  will  bring  you  both  money 
and  respect.  I  think  we  can  manage  to  scrape 
together  money  enough  for  you  to  start  with." 

"  I  will  think  it  over,"  added  James  ;  "  I  shan't  de- 
cide in  a  hurry." 

"  If  you  work  on  the  canal,  or  become  a  sailor  on 
the  lake,  you  will  have  work  only  part  of  the  year," 
continued  his  mother.  "You  will  find  little  to  do  in 
the  winter.  How  much  better  it  will  be  for  you  to  go 
to  school,  and  qualify  yourself  for  a  teacher !  Then 
you  can  sail  in  the  summer,  and  teach  school  in  the 
winter." 

Mrs.  Garfield  feared  that  a  total  abandonment  of 
the  idea  of  going  to  sea  would  be  quite  impossible 
for  James  at  present ;  and  so  her  policy  was  to  lure 
him   into  the  way  of   knowledge  by  degrees.      She 


212  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

suggested  sailing  in  summer,  and  teaching  in  winter, 
hoping,  that  when  he  had  qualified  himself  to  teach, 
he  would  be  so  much  in  love  with  books  as  to  banish 
all  thoughts  of  a  ship. 

There  was  a  sort  of  mystery,  in  James'  strong  de- 
sire for  a  sea-faring  life,  to  his  mother.  And  yet 
there  was  no  mystery  about  it.  Many  are  born  with 
an  adventurous,  daring  spirit,  which  the  reading  of  a 
book  may  set  strongly  in  a  given  direction.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  the  books  James  read  at  the  black-salt- 
er's  were  the  spark  that  kindled  his  adventurous  spirit 
into  a  flame.  We  have  seen  a  sailor  who  enjoys  life 
on  the  ocean  with  the  keenest  relish,  and  his  atten- 
tion was  first  turned  in  that  direction  by  a  book  pre- 
sented to  him  by  his  uncle. 

It  is  related  of  a  traveller,  that  he  sought  lodgings 
one  night  at  a  farm-house  in  Vermont.  He  found  an 
aged  couple,  well-to-do  in  this  world's  goods,  living 
there  alone.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  he  learned 
that  they  had  three  sons  following  the  sea.  It  was  an 
inexplicable  affair  to  them,  that  their  sons,  living  far 
away  from  the  sea,  should  have  so  strong  a  desire  to 
be  sailors,  from  boyhood.  One  after  the  other,  when 
they  attained  the  age  of  twelve  or  fifteen,  an  almost 
uncontrollable  desire  for  the  sea  had  taken  possession 
of  them.  In  each  case,  too,  the  parents  gave  their 
consent  to  entering  upon  a  sea-faring  life  not  until 
they  feared  the  sons  would  go  without  it.  While  the 
father  was  rehearsing  the  story  of  their  lives,  the 
traveller  was  observing  a  painting  on  the  ceiling,  over 
the  mantel-piece.  It  was  an  ocean  scene,  —  a  ship 
sailing  over  a  tranquil  sea,  —  painted  after  the  manner 


THE   TURNING-POINT.  213 

of  the  olden  times.     When  the  father  ceased  his  re- 
marks, the  traveller  said,  pointing  to  the  painting,  — 

"There  is  the  cause  of  your  sons'  sailor-life.  From 
infancy  they  have  had  that  painting  before  their 
eyes,  and  it  has  educated  them  for  the  sea.  In  the 
earliest  years,  when  their  hearts  were  most  impres- 
sible, that  ocean  scene  set  them  in  that  direction ; 
and  finally  their  hearts  were  made  to  burn  with  un- 
conquerable desire." 

This  explanation  was  perfectly  satisfactory  to  the 
aged  couple,  and,  no  doubt,  it  was  the  correct  one. 
The  fact  shows  that  there  is  no  mystery  about  such  a 
love  for  the  ocean  as  James  possessed.  Such  a  fer- 
vent nature  as  his  would  readily  be  ignited  by  a  ran- 
dom spark  from  a  glowing  book  or  a  glowing  speech. 
Nor  did  he  ever  outgrow  this  delight  in  the  sea. 
After  more  than  thirty  years  had  elapsed  since  his 
conflict  with  the  ague,  he  said,  in  reference  to  this 
feeling  :  "  The  sight  of  a  ship  fills  me  with  a  strange 
fascination.  When  upon  the  water,  and  my  fellow-men 
are  suffering  sea-sickness,  I  am  as  tranquil  as  when 
walking  the  land  in  serenest  weather.  The  spell  of 
*  Jack  Halyard  *  has  not  yet  worn  off." 

Mr.  Bates  continued  his  calls  at  the  Garfields', 
always  aiming  to  draw  out  James  in  respect  to  his  re- 
ligious convictions,  and  his  plans  for  the  future.  All 
these  interviews  were  very  profitable  to  James.  His 
mother  saw  clearly,  that  in  the  skilful  hands  of  the 
teacher  he  was  being  moulded,  and  her  heart  rejoiced. 
She  was  satisfied  that  he  was  making  progress  in  re- 
ligious purpose.  He  was  frank  to  confess  his  need  of 
Divine  grace,  and  renewing,  and  to  express  a  purpose 


214  LOG-CABIN   TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

to  become  a  Christian.  At  the  last  interview  which 
we  have  space  to  notice,  Mr.  Bates  brought  him  to  a 
final  decision. 

"  Look  here,  young  man,"  he  said  ;  "the  difference 
between  a  scholar  and  sailor  is  the  difference  between 
somebody  and  nobody."  And  he  rung  the  changes 
on  the  words  scholar  and  sailor,  until  the  latter  ap- 
peared almost  beneath  notice. 

"  Go  to  school  with  me  at  Chester  on  the  first  week 
in  March,"  said  Mr.  Bates.  *'  Settle  that  first,  that 
you  will  go  with  me  to  school  at  that  time.  That  will 
be  the  first  step,  and  the  most  important." 

*'  I  will  go,"  answered  James,  unexpectedly  at  that 
moment  to  his  mother.  He  said  it  with  emphasis, 
indicating  that  the  matter  was  settled. 

"  That's  business,"  continued  Mr.  Bates.  "  I  have 
no  concern  about  the  details,  as  to  how  you  will  raise 
money  to  pay  your  way,  or  whether  you  will  have  to 
relinquish  the  attempt  to  acquire  an  education  after 
you  have  begun  your  studies.  All  these  things  will 
come  right  at  the  time,  and  the  way  will  be  provided. 
You  have  said,  *  /  will  go,  and  that  commits  you  to 
the  great  purpose  of  your  life.  It  is  the  turning  point 
of  your  career.  You  have  set  your  face  towards 
*  Geauga  Seminary,'  and  I  have  no  idea  that  you  will 
look  back,  or  hanker  for  a  ship,  or  do  any  other  un- 
manly thing.  I  consider  that  the  turning  point  of  my 
life  was  when  I  finally  decided  to  be  educated  for  the 
ministry ;  and  from  that  moment  I  have  felt  it  was 
the  great  decision  of  my  life." 

These  words  exerted  a  profound  influence  upon 
James,  and  that  influence  deepened  from  year  to  year, 


THE   TURNING-POINT.  215 

as  he  grew  older.  Years  afterwards,  as  we  have  seen, 
when  addressing  an  audience  of  young  men,  he  bore 
strongly  upon  this  point,  and  said,  "  It  is  a  great 
point  gained  when  a  young  man  makes  up  his  mind  to 
devote  several  years  to  the  accomplishment  of  a 
definite  work." 

A  mother's  prayers  and  love  had  triumphed.  Was 
she  not  a  happy  woman  ? 

"  I  have  a  little  money,  and  I  know  where  I  can  get 
a  little  more,  and  that  will  be  enough  to  start  on,"  his 
mother  remarked. 

"  I  can  find  work  to  do  out  of  school,  and  on  Satur- 
days, when  school  don't  keep,  and  so  earn  money  to 
pay  my  way,"  responded  James. 

"  Yes,  I've  no  doubt  of  it.  You  know  that  Mr. 
Bates  said  all  these  things  would  come  around  right 
w^hen  you  had  decided  to  go,"  remarked  Mrs.  Gar- 
field. 

"  I  mean  to  see  if  William  and  Henry  will  not  go, 
too  ;  we  can  room  together,"  continued  James.  These 
were  his  two  cousins,  who  lived  close  by,  sons  of  his 
uncle,  Amos  Boynton.  They  were  members  of  his 
Spelling  Club  a  few  years  before,  w^hen,  together,  they 
mastered  Noah  Webster's  Spelling  Book. 

*'  That  will  be  a  good  idea,  James  ;  and  I  think  they 
will  go,"  responded  his  mother,  encouragingly.  ''  There 
is  no  reason  why  they  should  not  go." 

It  was  only  three  weeks  before  the  school  at  Ches- 
ter would  begin.  James  announced  to  his  cousins 
that  he  had  resolved  to  attend  Geauga  Seminary,  and 
wanted  they  should  go,  too.  The  subject  was  dis- 
cussed in  the  family  for  a  week ;  Mr.  Bates  was  con- 


2l6  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

suited,  and  was  glad  to  influence  two  other  boys  to 
take  so  wise  a  step  ;  and  finally  it  was  settled  that 
William  and  Henry  should  go  with  James. 

While  matters  were  progressing  thus  favorably, 
James  heard  that  Dr.  J.  P.  Robinson,  of  Bedford,  was 
coming  into  the  neighborhood  on  a  professional  visit, 
and,  without  consulting  any  one,  he  resolved  to  con- 
sult »him  concerning  the  practicability  of  his  decision 
to  acquire  an  education.  It  was  not  because  he  was 
wavering  at  all,  but  it  was  more  of  a  curiosity  on  his 
part.  So  he  called  upon  thg  doctor  after  his  arrival  at 
the  neighbor's,  and  the  interview,  as  narrated  by  Dr. 
Robinson  to  a  writer,  recently,  was  as  follows  : 

"He  was  rather  shabbily  clad,  in  coarse  satinet 
trousers,  far  out-grown,  and  reaching  only  half-way 
down  the  tops  of  his  cowhide  boots  ;  a  waistcoat  much 
too  short,  and  a  threadbare  coat  whose  sleeves  went 
only  a  little  below  the  elbows.  Surmounting  the 
whole  was  a  coarse  slouched  hat,  much  the  worse  for 
wear ;  and  as  the  lad  removed  it,  in  making  his 
obeisance  to  the  physician,  he  displayed  a  heavy  shock 
of  unkempt  yellow  hair  that  fell  half-way  down  his 
shoulders. 

"  *  He  was  wonderfully  awkward,'  says  the  good  doc- 
tor, *but  had  a  sort  of  independent,  go-as-you-please 
manner,  that  impressed  me  favorably.' 

"  *  Who  are  you  .^ '  was  his  somewhat  gruff  salutation. 

"  *  My  name  is  James  Garfield,  from  Orange,'  re- 
plied the  latter. 

*'  *  Oh,  I  know  your  mother,  and  knew  you  when 
you  were  a  babe  in  arms  ;  but  you  have  outgrown  my 
knowledge.     I  am  glad  to  see  you.' 


THE   TURNING-POINT.  217 

*'  *  I  want  to  see  you  alone,'  said  young  Garfield. 

**The  doctor  led  the  way  to  a  secluded  spot  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  house,  and  there,  sitting  down 
on  a  log,  the  youth,  after  a  little  hesitation,  opened  his 
business. 

'' '  You  are  a  physician,'  he  said,  *  and  know  the  fibre 
that  is  in  men.  Examine  me,  and  tell  me  with  the  ut- 
most frankness  whether  I  had  better  take  a  course  of 
liberal  study.  I  am  contemplating  doing  so ;  my  de- 
sire is  in  that  direction.  But  if  I  am  to  make  a  failure 
of  it,  or  practically  so,  I  do  not  desire  to  begin.  If 
you  advise  me  not  to  do  so  I  shall  feel  content.' 

"  In  speaking  of  this  incident,  the  doctor  has  re- 
marked, recently :  *  I  felt  that  I  was  on  my  sacred 
honor,  and  the  young  man  looked  as  though  he  felt 
himself  on  trial.  I  had  had  considerable  experience 
as  a  physician,  but  here  was  a  case  much  different 
from  any  other  I  had  ever  had.  I  felt  that  it  must  be 
handled  with  great  care.  I  examined  his  head,  and 
saw  that  there  was  a  magnificent  brain  there.  I 
sounded  his  lungs,  and  found  that  they  were  strong, 
and  capable  of  making  good  blood.  I  felt  his  pulse, 
and  saw  that  there  was  an  engine  capable  of  sending  the 
blood  up  to  the  head  to  feed  the  brain.  I  had  seen 
many  strong  physical  systems  with  warm  feet,  but 
cold,  sluggish  brain  ;  and  those  who  possessed  such 
systems  would  simply  sit  around  and  doze.  Therefore 
I  was  anxious  to  knov/  about  the  kind  of  an  engine  to 
run  that  delicate  machine,  the  brain.  At  the  end  of 
a  fifteen  minutes'  careful  examination  of  this  kind, 
we  rose,  and  I  said,  "  Go  on,  follow  the  leadings  of 
your  ambition,  and  ever  after  I  am  your  friend.     You 


2l8  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

have  the  brain  of  a  Webster,  and  you  have  the  physi- 
cal proportions  that  will  back  you  in  the  most  hercu- 
lean efforts.  All  you  need  do  is  to  work.  Work 
hard,  do  not  be  afraid  of  overworking,  and  you  will 
make  your  mark." 

"  I  wish  you  had  a  better  suit  of  clothes,  James," 
remarked  his  mother,  "  but  we  shall  have  to  make 
these  do,  I  guess."  It  was  the  same  suit  he  had  on 
when  he  called  upon  Dr.  Robinson.  Indeed,  he  pos- 
sessed no  other  suit.  The  trousers  were  nearly  out  at 
the  knees,  but  under  the  skilful  hand  of  his  mother, 
they  were  made  almost  as  good  as  new. 

*'  Good  enough,  any  way,"  said  James,  in  reply  to 
his  mother's  wish.  It  was  fortunate  that  he  was  not 
the  victim  of  a  false  pride  :  if  he  had  been,  he  would 
not  have  consented  to  attend  a  "  seminary  "  in  that 
plight. 

It  was  settled  that  the  boys  should  board  them- 
selves, each  one  carrying  his  own  outfit  in  utensils  and 
provisions,  doing  it  as  a  matter  of  economy. 

When  Mrs.  Garfield  had  scraped  together  all  the 
money  she  could  for  James,  the  amount  was  only 
about  eleven  dollars. 

"That  will  do  to  begin  with,"  he  remarked.  "I 
can  earn  more." 


CHAPTER   XV. 
GEAUGA   SEMINARY. 

IN  the  fifth  day  of  March,  the  day  before  the 
school  opened,  James  and  his  cousins  trav- 
elled to  Chester,  on  foot,  quite  heavily  load- 
ed with  cooking  utensils  and  provisions. 
The  distance  was  ten  miles,  over  roads  that  were  poor, 
indeed,  at  that  season  of  the  year.  They  carried  dip- 
pers, plates,  a  knife  and  fork  each,  a  fry-pan,  kettle, 
and  other  things  to  match,  with  a  quantity  of  ham,  or 
-  bacon,"  as  the  settlers  called  it.  James  was  arrayed 
in  the  suit  of  clothes  in  which  he  appeared  before  Dr. 
Robinson,  and  the  other  boys  were  clad  about  ditto. 
No  one  would  have  charged  them  with  pride,  on  their 
way  to  the  *'  Seminary."  At  this  day,  some  faithful 
constable  would  arrest  such  a  troop  for  tramps,  who 
had  robbed  a  farmer's  kitchen  and  were  taking  "leg- 
bail."  Nevertheless,  they  were  three  as  jolly  boys  as 
Cuyahoga  County  could  boast.  Their  errand  was 
nobler  and  grander  than  that  of  any  aspirant  who  was 
fishing  for  an  office  in  the  State  of  Ohio.    Why  should 

they  not  be  jolly  ? 

They  proceeded  directly  to  the  house  of  the  princi- 
pal, Mr.  Daniel  Branch,  an  eccentric  man,  though  a 
very  respectable  scholar  in  some  departments. 


220  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"We've  come  to  attend  your  school,"  said  James, 
addressing  himself  to  Mr.  Branch.  "  We  came  from 
Orange." 

"  What's  your  name  t  "  inquired  the  principal. 

^^ My  name  is  James  A.  Garfield  ;  and  these  are  my 
cousins  [turning  to  the  boys] ;  their  names  are  Wil- 
liam and  Henry  Boynton." 

'*  Well,  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  boys  ;  you  might  be  en- 
gaged in  much  worse  business  than  this.  I  suppose 
you  are  no  richer  than  most  of  the  scholars  we  have 
here." 

The  last  remark  of  Mr.  Branch  is  good  evidence 
that  he  had  surveyed  the  new-comers  from  head  to 
foot,  and  that  the  remark  was  prompted  by  their  poor 
apparel. 

**  No,  sir,"  answered  James,  dryly;  "we  are  not 
loaded  down  with  gold  or  silver,  but  with  pots,  and 
kettles,  and  provisions  for  housekeeping." 

"  Going  to  board  yourselves,  then,"  replied  the 
teacher,  by  way  of  inquiry. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  can  you  tell  us  where  we  can  find  a 
room  t  "  answered  James. 

"Yes;  near  by,"  answered  Mr.  Branch;  "a  good 
deal  of  that  business  is  done  here.  Scores  of  our  boys 
and  girls  would  never  stay  here  if  they  could  not 
board  themselves.  "  Look  here,"  and  stepping  out 
from  the  door-way  he  pointed  to  an  old,  unpainted 
house,  twenty  or  thirty  rods  away.  "You  see  that 
old  house  there,  do  you  ) "  he  said.  James  assented. 
"  I  think  you  will  find  a  room  there  :  an  old  lady,  as 
poor  as  you  arc,  lives  in  one  part  of  it.  You  will  go 
to  her  to  inquire." 


GEAUGA    SEMINARY.  221 

"  Thank  you,  sir,  thank  you,"  repeated  the  boys, 
poHtely,  as  they  started  for  the  antique  habitation. 
They  found  the  old  lady,  and  hired  a  room,  for  a  pit- 
tance, in  which  there  were  a  fireplace,  three  old  chairs, 
that  corresponded  with  the  building,  and  two  beds  on 
the  floor,  or  what  the  good  woman  of  the  house  was  bold 
enough  to  call  beds.  Here  they  unpacked  their  goods, 
and  set  up  housekeeping  by  cooking  their  first  meal. 

The  "  Geauga  Seminary "  was  a  Free-will  Baptist 
institution,  in  quite  a  flourishing  condition,  having  a 
hundred  students,  of  both  sexes,  drawn  thither  from 
the  towns  in  that  region.  The  town  m  which  it  was 
located,  Chester,  was  small,  but  pleasant,  the  academy 
furnishing  the  only  attraction  of  the  place. 

School  opened,  and  James  devoted  himself  to  gram- 
mar, natural  philosophy,  arithmetic,  and  algebra.  He 
had  never  seen  but  one  algebra  before  he  purchased 
the  one  he  used.  The  principal  advised  him  to  take 
this  course  of  study. 

It  was  a  new  scene  for  James,  a  school  of  one  hun- 
dred pupils,  male  and  female,  most  of  them  better  clad 
than  himself.  He  was  awkward  and  bashful,  espe- 
cially in  the  presence  of  young  ladies,  whom  he  re- 
garded as  far  superior  to  young  men  of  the  same  age 
and  attainments.  Still  he  broke  into  the  routine  of 
the  school  readily,  and  soon  was  under  full  headway, 
like  a  new  vessel  with  every  sail  set. 

Singularly  enough,  he  encountered  an  unexpected 
difficulty  in  the  grammar-class  within  a  very  few  days. 

James  said,  ''but  is  a  conjunction." 

''■  Not  so  ;  but  is  a  verby  and  means  be  oiity'  replied 
the  teacher. 


222  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

"A  verb  !  but  a  verbf  exclaimed  James,  in  reply, 
without  scarcely  thinking  that  he  was  calling  the 
teacher's  opinion  in  question.  He  had  Kirkman's 
grammar  at  his  command,  even  to  its  preface,  which 
he  could  glibly  repeat,  word  by  word ;  and  he  knew 
that  bjit\\2iS  a  conjunction,  according  to  Kirkman,  and 
all  the  teachers  whose  pupil  he  had  been.  Could  his 
teacher  be  joking,  or  did  he  make  a  blunder .? 

*'  Yes  ;  but  is  a  verb,  no  matter  what  the  books  say, 
young  man  ;  whose  grammar  have  you  studied } "  the 
teacher  answered. 

*'  Kirkman's,"  replied  James. 

**  Kirkman !  and  he  is  just  like  all  the  rest  of 
them,  wrong  from  beginning  to  end,"  said  Mr. 
Branch.  ''That's  not  the  grammar  you  will  learn 
in  this  school,  I  can  tell  you,  by  any  means.  I 
teach  a  grammar  of  my  own,  the  grammar  of  com- 
mon sense." 

James  thought  it  was  the  grammar  of  nonsense, 
though  he  did  not  say  so.  At  that  time  he  did  not 
know  that  Mr.  Branch  was  at  war  with  all  the  gram- 
marians, and  had  introduced  a  system  of  instruction  in 
that  study  peculiarly  his  own. 

"  Besides  Kirkman,  all  the  teachers  I  ever  had  have 
called  but  a  conjunction,"  added  James,  directly 
implying  that  he  did  not  accept  Branch's  grammar. 

"  You  don't  believe  it,  I  clearly  see,  young  man  ; 
but  you  will  long  before  you  have  spent  twelve  weeks 
in  this  school,"  remarked  Mr.  Branch.  ''You  will 
have  sense  to  see  that  I  am  right,  and  the  old  gram- 
marians wrong." 

"  If  but  is  a  verb,   I  don't  sec  why  and  is  not  a  verb 


GEAUGA    SEMINARY.  223 

also,"  remarked  James,  being  quite  inclined  to  array 
Kirkman  against  Branch. 

"  It  is  a  verb,  James  ;  and  is  a  verb,  I  want  you  to 
understand,  in  the  imperative  mood,  and  means  add\ 
that  is  all  there  is  to  it,"  was  the  emphatic  answer  of 
Mr.  Branch. 

James  looked  at  the  boys,  and  smiled  in  his  know- 
ing way.  The  teacher  saw  the  unbelief  which  per- 
vaded that  look,  and  he  continued, 

*'  See  here,  young  man  ;  and  does  something  more 
than  connect  two  things  ;  it  adds.  I  w^ant  to  speak  of 
you  and  Henry,  two  of  you  together,  and  I  say,  James 
and  Henry ;  that  is,  add  Henry  to  James  :  don't  you 
see  it  now.-*     It  is  clear  as  daylight." 

There  was  no  daylight  in  it  to  James,  and  he  so 
expressed  himself.  Each  day  brought  discussions  in 
the  class  between  the  principal  and  James.  The 
former's  system  of  grammar  was  all  of  a  piece  with 
and  and  but,  so  that  the  hour  for  the  grammar  class 
was  an  hour  of  contention,  very  spicy  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  class,  but  rather  annoying  to  the  teacher. 
The  latter  was  not  long  in  discovering  that  he  had  a 
remarkable  scholar  in  James,  —  one  who  would  not 
receive  anything  on  trust,  or  without  the  most  sub- 
stantial reason  or  proof.  His  respect  for  James' 
talents  somewhat  reconciled  him  to  his  annoying  con- 
tradictions. 

The  boys  had  much  sport  over  Branch's  grammar ; 
we  mean  James  and  his  cousins. 

"  If  biU  is  a  verb,  then  hutUr  must  be  an  ^^verb, 
since  it  only  adds  three  more  letters  and  one  more 
syllable,"  said  James. 


224  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

'  You  ought  to  have  told  him  so,"  replied  Henry ; 
"  it's  a  good  point :  it  is  carrying  out  his  system 
exactly." 

"Not  much  system  about  it,  any  way,"  responded 
James,  "  but  a  good  deal  of  egotism  and  stubborn- 
ness." 

"  You  can  be  as  stubborn  as  he  is,"  remarked 
Henry.  "  He  don't  hardly  know  how  to  get  along 
with  Kirkman  ;  it's  tough  for  him. 

We  will  not  follow  the  grammar  class.  It  should 
be  said,  however,  that  James  never  adopted  Branch's 
grammar.  He  contended  against  it  so  long  as  he 
continued  in  the  class  ;  and  it  is  our  private  opinion 
that  the  author  of  Branch's  Grammar  was  well 
pleased  when  James  exchanged  it  for  another  study. 

The  boys  succeeded  tolerably  well  at  housekeeping, 
though  they  did  not  extract  quite  so  much  fun  from  it 
as  they  expected.  After  a  short  time,  they  hired  the 
old  lady  in  the  house  to  cook  some  of  their  food. 
She  did  their  washing,  also.  It  was  only  a  very 
small  amount  they  paid  her  weekly.  Still,  buying  his 
books,  and  incurring  some  other  unavoidable  expenses, 
James  saw  his  eleven  dollars  dwindling  away  quite 
rapidly. 

**  I  must  look  up  work,  or  I  shall  become  bankrupt 
soon,"  remarked  James.  "  I  can  see  the  bottom  of 
my  purse  now,  almost." 

"  What  sort  of  work  do  you  expect  to  find  in  this 
little  place  1  "  inquired  William. 

"  Carpenter  work,  I  guess,"  answered  James.  "  I've 
had  my  eye  on  that  carpenter's  shop  yonder  [pointing] 
for  some  time.     They  seem  to  be  busy  there.     I  never 


GEAUGA    SEMINARY.  225 

lived  anywhere  yet  that  I  couldn't  find  work  enough. 
I  shall  try  them  to-morrow." 

"  What  is  that  carpenter's  name,"  inquired  Wil- 
liam. 

"  Woodworth  —  Heman  Woodworth.  I  have  had 
my  eye  on  him  for  some  time." 

Before  school,  on  the  following  morning,  James  ap- 
plied to  Mr.  Woodworth  for  work. 

"  What  do  you  know  about  this  business  ? "  Mr. 
Woodworth  inquired. 

**  I  have  worked  for  Mr.  Treat,  of  Orange,"  James 
replied. 

"  I  know  him  ;  what  can  you  do  .-*"  said  Mr.  Wood- 
worth. 

**  I  can  build  a  barn,  if  you  want  I  should,"  answered 
James,  laughingly.  **  I  have  helped  in  building  five 
or  six  barns.     I  can  plane  for  you." 

"  You  look  as  if  you  might  be  a  good,  strong  fellow 
for  planing,"  continued  Mr.  Woodworth.  "■  You  pay 
your  own  way  at  school  t " 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  I  had  only  eleven  dollars  to  begin  with, 
and  that  won't  last  long." 

*' Not  long,  I  should  think,  as  board  is  here." 

"  I  board  myself,"  added  James,  by  way  of  enlight- 
ening the  carpenter. 

"  Board  yourself }  That  is  rather  tough,  though 
many  do  it." 

"Many  things  are  tougher  than  that,"  remarked 
James. 

"  Perhaps  so  ;  but  that  is  tough  enough.  You  may 
come  over  after  school,  and  I'll  see  what  I  can  do  for 
you." 


226  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  And  what  you  can  do  for  yourself,"  quickly  re- 
sponded James.  "  If  I  can't  work  so  as  to  make  it  an 
object  for  you  to  hire  me,  then  I  don't  wish  to  work 
for  you.  I  don't  ask  you  to  let  me  have  work  as  a 
matter  of  charity." 

Mr.  Wood  worth  admired  the  pluck  of  the  boy,  and 
he  repeated,  **  Come  over  after  school,  and  I  will  see 
what  I  can  do  for  you." 

'*  I  can  work  two  or  three  hours  a  day,  and  all  day 
on  Saturdays  ;  and  you  needn't  put  a  price  on  my 
work  until  you  see  what  I  can  do,"  added  James,  as 
he  turned  away. 

The  result  was  that  Mr.  Woodworth  hired  James, 
who  worked  at  the  shop  before  school  in  the  morning, 
and  then  hurried  to  it  at  the  close  of  school,  at  four 
o'clock ;  and  on  Saturdays,  he  made  a  long  day's 
labor.  He  continued  this  method  through  the  term, 
denying  himself  the  games  and  sports  enjoyed  by  the 
scholars,  excepting  only  an  occasional  hour.  No  boy 
loved  a  pastime  better  than  he,  but  to  pay  his  bills 
was  more  important  than  sport.  At  the  close  of 
the  term  he  had  money  enough  to  pay  all  his  bills, 
and  between  two  and  three  dollars  to  carry  home  with 
him. 

One  of  the  chief  attractions  of  the  seminary  to 
James  was  its  library,  although  it  was  small.  It  con- 
tained only  one  hundred  and  fifty  volumes  ;  but  to 
James  that  number  was  a  spectacle  to  behold.  He 
was  not  long  in  ascertaining  what  books  it  contained; 
not  that  he  read  a  great  many  of  them,  for  he  had  not 
time  ;  but  he  examined  the  library  and  found  it  desti- 
tute of  books  of  the  "Jack  Halyard"  style;  nor  was 


GEAUGA    SEMINARY.  227 

he  sorry.  He  found  a  class  of  books  just  suited  tc 
aid  students  like  himself  in  their  studies,  and  he  was 
well  satisfied.  He  made  as  much  use  of  them  as  pos- 
sible in  the  circumstances,  and  often  read  far  into  the 
night.  It  was  a  luxury  to  him,  rather  than  a  self- 
denial,  to  extend  his  studies  into  the  night,  in  order  to 
be  perfect  in  his  lessons,  and  secure  a  little  time  for 
reading. 

The  regulations  of  the  school  made  it  necessary  for 
James  to  write  a  composition  twice  a  month,  some- 
times upon  a  subject  announced  by  the  principal,  and 
sometimes  upon  a  topic  of  his  own  selection.  Occa- 
sionally, the  authors  of  the  essays  were  required  to 
read  them  to  the  whole  school,  from  the  platform.  The 
first  time  that  James  read  an  essay,  he  trembled  more 
than  he  did  before  rebel  cannon  twelve  or  fourteen 
years  thereafter. 

"  Lucky  for  me,"  said  James  to  his  room-mates, 
"  that  there  was  a  curtain  in  front  of  my  legs,"  al- 
luding to  a  narrow  curtain  on  the  edge  of  the  plat- 
form. 

"  How  so  .'*  "  inquired  William. 

"  No  one  could  see  my  legs  shake ;  you  would  have 
thought  they  had  the  shaking  palsy." 

*'  I  never  would  have  thought  that  of  you  }  "  added 
William. 

*'  It's  true,  whether  you  thought  it  of  me  or  not.  I 
never  trembled  so  in  my  life." 

"  Then  you  were  scared.-*"  remarked  William. 

*'I  guess  that  was  the  name  of  it,"  replied  James. 

"  Your  essay  wasn't  scared,  Jim  ;  it  was  capital," 
continued  William.     "I  should  be  willing  to  shake  a 


228  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

trifle,  if  I  could  write  such  an  essay.  Some  of  them 
were  astonished  that  such  a  suit  of  clothes  as  yours 
should  hide  such  a  production." 

"Much  obliged,"  answered  James;  "you  seem  to 
praise  my  essay  at  the  expense  of  my  clothes.  I  can 
afford  an  essay  better  than  a  suit  of  clothes.  It  costs 
only  thought  and  labor  to  produce  the  essay,  but  it 
costs  money  to  get  the  clothes." 

James  had  taken  from  the  library  the  "  Life  of 
Henry  C.  Wright,"  and  had  become  deeply  interested 
in  its  perusal.  He  learned  of  the  privations  and  de- 
nials of  Mr.  Wright,  as  well  as  his  methods  in  acquir- 
ing an  education ;  and  he  was  captivated  by  the  spirit 
of  the  man. 

"We  can  live  cheaper  than  we  do,"  he  remarked  to 
his  cousins.  "Another  term  we  must  adopt  Mr. 
Wright's  diet." 

"What  was  that .?"  inquired  Henry. 

"Milk." 

"  Nothing  but  milk  t  " 

"  Bread  and  milk  ;  a  milk  diet  wholly." 

"  How  long  .-^  " 

"  Right  through  his  course  of  study." 

"Was  it  cheaper  than  we  are  living  —  thirty-five 
cents  a  week,  apiece." 

"  Yes,  but  better  than  that,  it  was  healthier." 

"  How  did  he  know  that } " 

"  Because  he  was  better  than  ever  before,  and  had 
a  clearer  head  for  study." 

"  It  may  not  suit  us,  though,"  remarked  William, 
who  had  been  listening  to  the  conversation. 

"We  shan't  know  till   we    try,"   answered   James. 


GEAUGA    SEMINARY.  229 

**  I  propose  to  try  it,  next  term.  We  are  a  little  too 
extravagant  in  our  living,  now  ;  we  must  cut  down 
our  expenses.  I  have  had  the  last  cent  that  I  shall 
take  from  my  friends.  I  shall  pay  my  own  way,  here- 
after." 

"You  can't  do  it,"  said  Henry. 

''Then  I  will  quit  study.  I  know  I  can  do  it.  My 
mother  needs  all  the  money  she  can  get  without  help- 


mg  me. 


"I  admire  your  pluck,"  added  Henry;  "but  I  think 
you  will  find  yourself  mistaken." 

"  As  I  am  earning  money  now,  I  can  pay  my  way," 
continued  James  ;  "  and  on  a  milk  diet  I  can  scrimp  a 
little  more." 

"And  if  you  should  conclude  not  to  eat  anything, 
you  could  live  at  very  small  expense,"  retorted  Henry, 
by  way  of  making  fun  of  his  milk  diet. 

"  Laugh  at  it  as  much  as  you  please,"  replied 
James  ;  "  meat  is  not  necessary  to  health  ;  I  am  satis- 
fied of  that.  There  is  more  nourishment  in  good 
bread  and  milk  than  there  is  in  roast-beef." 

"  Well,  I  should  take  the  roast-beef  if  I  could  get 
it,"  interrupted  William.  "  Milk  for  babes  ;  and  I  am 
not  a  baby." 

"  Milk  for  scholars,"  responded  James  ;  "  I  actually 
believe  that  a  better  scholar  can  be  made  of  milk  than 
of  beef." 

"  If  you  will  say  *  bacon  '  instead  of  beef,  perhaps  I 
shall  agree  with  you,"  said  William,  playfully.  "  I 
don't  think  that  bacon  can  produce  high  scholar- 
ship." 

"Jim's  essay  was  made  out  of  it  chiefly,"  remarked 


230  LOG-CAB/\   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Henry;  "  that  was  scholarly.  Bacon  has  contributed 
too  much  to  my  comfort  for  me  to  berate  it  now." 

And  so  the  boys  treated  with  some  levity  a  subject 
over  which  James  became  an  enthusiast.  He  was 
thoroughly  taken  with  Mr.  Wright's  mode  of  living, 
and  thoroughly  resolved  to  adopt  it  the  next  term. 

The  Debating  Society,  also,  interested  James  very 
much  ;  it  was  the  first  one  he  had  ever  become  ac- 
quainted with.  The  principal  recommended  it  highly 
as  a  means  of  self-culture,  and  James  accepted  his 
recommendation  as  sound  and  pertinent.  He  engaged 
in  debate  hesitatingly  at  first,  as  if  he  had  grave 
doubts  of  his  ability  in  that  direction  ;  but  he  soon 
learned  to  value  the  Society  above  many  of  his  aca- 
demical privileges.  The  trial  of  his  powers  in  debate 
disclosed  a  faculty  within  him  that  he  had  not  dreamed 
of.  He  possessed  a  ready  command  of  language, 
could  easily  express  his  thoughts  upon  any  question 
under  discussion,  and  was  really  eloquent  for  one  so 
ungainly  in  personal  appearance.  He  studied  each 
question  before  the  club  as  he  would  study  a  lesson  in 
algebra,  determined  to  master  it.  He  could  usually 
find  books  in  the  library  that  afforded  him  essential 
aid  in  preparing  for  debates,  so  that  he  appeared  be- 
fore the  school  always  well  posted  upon  the  subject 
in  hand.  His  familiarity  with  them  often  evoked  re- 
marks of  surprise  from  both  scholars  and  teachers. 
It  was  here,  probably,  that  he  laid  the  foundation  for 
that  remarkable  ability  in  debate  for  which  he  was 
distinguished  during  his  Congressional  career.  He 
began  by  preparing  himself  thoroughly  for  every  dis- 
cussion, and  that  practice  was  maintained  by  him  to 


GEAC/GA    SEMINARY.  23 1 

the  end.  It  made  him  one  of  the  most  prompt,  bril- 
liant, and  eloquent  disputants  in  the  national  legis- 
lature. 

It  was  not  strange  that  James  won  enviable  noto- 
riety in  the  Debating  Society  of  the  Geauga  Academy. 
The  debates  became  important  and  attractive  to  the 
whole  school  because  he  was  a  disputant.  Scholars 
hung  upon  his  lips,  as  afterwards  listening  crowds 
were  charmed  by  his  eloquence.  Teachers  and  pupils 
began  very  soon  to  predict  for  him  a  brilliant  future 
as  a  public  speaker.  In  their  surprise  and  admiration 
of  the  young  orator  they  forgot  the  jean  trousers,  that 
were  too  short  for  his  limbs  by  four  inches. 

Henry  Wilson  discovered  his  ability  to  express  his 
thoughts,  before  an  audience  in  the  village  Debating 
Society  of  Natick,  Mass.,  in  early  manhood.  Here  he 
subjected  himself  to  a  discipline  that  insured  his 
eminence  as  a  debater  in  Congress.  The  celebrated 
English  philanthropist  Buxton  had  no  thought  of  be- 
coming an  orator  or  a  statesman,  until  he  learned,  in 
the  debating  society  of  the  school  which  he  attended, 
that  he  possessed  an  undeveloped  ability  for  the 
forum.  The  distinguished  English  statesman,  Can- 
ning, declared  that  he  qualified  himself  for  his  public 
career  in  the  school  of  his  youth,  where  the  boys 
organized  and  supported  a  mock  parliament,  con- 
ducting the  debates,  appointing  committees,  enforcing 
rules,  and  pitting  one  party  against  the  other,  pre- 
cisely as  was  done  by  Parliament.  In  like  manner, 
the  hero  of  this  volume  really  began  his  distinguished 
public  career  in  the  lyceum  of  Geauga  Seminary. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

AFTER   VACATION. 

VACATION  of  two  months  in  the  summer 
gave  James  ample  opportunity  for  manual 
labor.     Thomas   was   at   home,  and  he   de- 
cided to  build  a  frame  barn  for  his  mother. 
He  could  have  the  assistance  of  James,    who   really 
knew  more  about  barn-building  than  Thomas  did. 
*'  I  s'pose  you  can  frame  it,  Jim,"  said  Thomas. 
"  I  suppose  that  I  can,  if  algebra  and  philosophy 
have  not  driven  out  all  I  learned  of  the  business." 

"  You  can  try  your  hand  at  it,  then.  I  should  think 
that  algebra  and  philosophy  would  help  rather  than 
hinder  barn-building,"  added  Thomas. 

*'  Precious  little  they  have  to  do  with  barns,  I  tell 
you,"  responded  James.  ''They  are  taking  studies, 
though." 

"  It  won't  take  you  long  to  find  out  what  you  can 
do,"  continued  Thomas  ;  "  it  spoils  some  boys  to  go  to 
school  too  much." 

Thomas   had   prepared  sufficient  lumber   when    he 

was  at  home,  at  different  times,  for  the  barn.     It  was 

all    ready   to   be   worked   into  the   building ;  and  the 

brothers  proceeded  to  the  task  resolutely,  James  lead- 

33a 


AFTER  VACATION.  233 

ing  off  in  framing  it.  No  outside  help  was  called  in, 
Thomas  and  James  considering  themselves  equal  to 
the  task. 

We  need  not  delay  to  record  the  details  of  the  job. 
It  will  answer  our  purpose  to  add,  simply,  that  the 
barn  was  built  by  the  brothers,  and  thus  one  more 
convenience  was  added  for  the  comfort  of  their 
mother.  The  day  of  log  buildings  was  now  over  for 
the  Garfield  family.  Times  had  wonderfully  changed 
since  Mr.  Garfield  died,  and  the  population  of  the 
township  had  increased,  so  that  "  the  wilderness  and 
solitary  place  "  had  disappeared. 

As  soon  as  the  barn  was  completed,  James  sought 
work  elsewhere  among  the  farmers.  He  must  earn 
some  money  before  returning  to  Chester,  for  a  portion 
of  his  doctor's  bill  remained  unpaid,  and  then,  a  new 
suit  of  clothes,  shirts,  and  other  things,  would  require 
quite  an  outlay. 

He  found  a  farmer  behind  time  in  getting  his  hay. 

"Yes,  I  want  you,"  the  farmer  said;  ''and  I  wish 
you  had  been  here  two  weeks  ago  :  it  seems  as  if  hay- 
ing would  hold  out  all  summer." 

"You  are  rather  behind  time,  I  judge,"  replied 
James.     "  Better  late  than  never,  though." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,  James.  I  rather  have  it 
read,  better  never  late,''  remarked  the  sensible  man. 

"That  is  my  rule,"  answered  James.  "At  school 
we  are  obliged  to  be  on  time.  Tardiness  is  not  al- 
lowable." 

"  It  never  should  be  allowed  anywhere.  It  seems 
as  if  we  can  never  catch  up  when  we  once  get  behind," 
continued  the  farmer;  "and  then  there  is  no  comfort  in 


234  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

it.  It  keeps  one  in  torment  all  the  while,  to  feel  that 
he  is  behindhand  :  I  don't  like  it." 

*'  Neither  do  I,"  answered  James.  "  It  is  worse  to 
be  behindhand  in  school  than  it  is  on  a  farm,  much 
worse,  I  think.  A  scholar  behind  his  class  is  an  ob- 
ject of  pity." 

The  farmwork  did  not  continue  behindhand  long, 
however.  The  remainder  of  the  haying  was  accom- 
plished in  a  week,  and  James  had  opportunity  for 
other  jobs.  He  found  work  clear  up  to  the  close  of 
his  vacation,  not  having  even  a  day  for  pastime.  Thus 
he  was  able  to  pay  off  his  doctor's  bill,  provide  a  bet- 
ter outfit  for  another  school  term  than  he  had  the  first 
term,  and  to  aid  his  mother  also. 

James  was  not  idle  during  the  evenings  of  his  vaca- 
tion. Algebra  occupied  a  portion  of  his  time  ;  and 
two  or  three  reading  books,  which  he  brought  from  the 
Chester  library,  beguiled  many  of  his  evening  hours. 
If  he  had  any  leisure  hours  during  his  vacation,  they 
were  not  idle  hours.  Every  hour  told  upon  the  new 
purpose  of  his  life.  He  had  ceased  to  talk  about 
going  to  sea,  or  even  coasting  on  Lake  Erie,  in  his 
enthusiasm  for  an  education.  His  mother,  of  course, 
never  reverted  to  the  subject,  and  she  was  rejoiced  to 
find  that  James  was  aspiring  to  something  higher  and 
nobler.  He  was  too  much  absorbed  in  his  course  of 
study  to  talk  about  a  sea-faring  life,  or  even  to  think 
about  it. 

"  I  wish  you  had  some  money  to  take  back  with  you, 
James,"  remarked  his  mother,  the  day  before  he  left 
for  the  seminary. 

"  I    don't    know    as    I    care    for    more,"    answered 


AFTER  VACATION.  235 

James.  '*  I  have  a  ninepcnce  [showing  the  bit,  and 
laughing],  and  that  will  go  as  far  as  it  is  possible  for  a 
ninepence  to  go.  I  have  it  all  arranged  to  work  for 
Mr.  Woodworth,  out  of  school,  and  I  can  easily  pay 
my  way." 

"  That  may  be  true  ;  but  a  few  dollars  to  begin  the 
term  with  would  be  very  convenient,"  replied  Mrs. 
Garfield. 

'^  Better  begin  with  nothing  and  end  with  some- 
thing, than  to  begin  with  something  and  end  with 
nothing,"  added  James. 

''  I  suppose,  then,  that  you  expect  to  end  the  term 
with  more  money  than  you  begin  it  with  }  "  said  his 
mother,  inquiringly. 

"  Yes,  I  do  ;  for  I  shall  want  a  little  change  in  my 
pocket  in  the  winter,  if  I  teach  school,"  replied  James. 

"  Then  you  really  expect  to  be  qualified  to  teach 
school  next  winter,  do  you  ?  " 

*'  I  design  to  ;  perhaps  I  shall  be  disappointed, 
though." 

*'I  hope  not,"  continued  his  mother.  "  By  teaching 
school  in  the  winter  you  can  get  together  money 
enough  to  pay  your  school  bills  the  rest  of  the  year  ; 
and  that  will  make  it  easy  for  you.  I  want  to  see  you 
able  to  earn  enough  in  winter  to  pay  all  your  school 
bills,  so  that  you  will  not  be  obliged  to  work  before 
and  after  school  to  earn  money." 

**  I  don't  expect  to  see  that  time,  mother.  I  am 
content  to  work  my  way  along  as  I  have  done,"  was 
James'  brave  reply.  *'  Nobody  can  be  healthier  than  I 
am  ;  so  that  it  don't  wear  upon  me  much." 

James  returned  to  Geauga  Seminary  at  the  opening 


236  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

of  the  fall  term,  with  the  solitary  ninepence  in  his 
pocket.  He  playfully  suggested  to  Henry  that  *'  the 
bit  must  be  very  lonesome,"  and  thought  he  might 
provide  a  "  companion  "  for  it  ere  long.  The  circum- 
stances remind  us  of  the  experience  of  the  late  Horace 
Mann,  of  Massachusetts.  Born  in  poverty,  though 
not  so  poor  as  James,  he  had  little  hope  of  gratifying 
his  strong  desire  for  an  education.  Providence,  how- 
ever, opened  the  way  for  him  to  prepare  for  college, 
which  he  did  in  six  months,  not  knowing  whether  he 
would  be  able  to  enter  or  not.  By  dint  of  persever- 
ance, he  scraped  together  money  enough  to  get  him 
into  college,  although  he  could  not  tell  where  the 
money  was  coming  from  to  keep  him  there.  After  a 
few  weeks  he  wrote  to  his  sister,  ''  My  last  two  nine- 
pences  parted  company  some  days  ago,  and  there  is 
no  prospect  of  their  ever  meeting  again."  That  is,  he 
had  a  solitary  ninepence  in  his  pocket. 

On  the  Sabbath  after  James'  return  to  the  seminary 
he  was  at  public  worship,  when  the  contribution-box 
was  passed  through  the  audience.  Whether  James* 
sympathy  for  the  lonely  bit  in  his  pocket  got  the  bet- 
ter of  his  judgment,  or  whether  it  was  the  generosity 
of  his  soul  (we  suspect  it  was  the  latter),  he  dropped 
the  ninepence  into  the  box,  thereby  creating  as  great 
an  emptiness  as  possible  in  his  pocket.  He  was  now 
upon  an  equality  with  the  widow  of  the  Scriptures, 
who  cast  her  two  mites  (all  she  had)  into  the  treasury 
of  the  Lord. 

James  and  his  cousins  boarded  themselves  during  the 
fall  term,  adopting  Wright's  milk  diet  at  first,  thereby 
reducing  their  exi)cnscs  a  very  little,  though  not  much. 


AFTER  VACATION.  237 

**Just  thirty-one  cents  each,  per  week,"  remarked 
James,  after  the  trial  of  that  method  of  living  four 
weeks.  He  had  kept  a  careful  account,  and  now  found 
the  result  to  be  as  indicated. 

"  I  feel  as  if  it  had  not  cost  us  more  than  that,"  an- 
swered Henry.  "  My  physical  constitution  is  reduced 
quite  as  much  as  our  expenses,  I  think."  He  said 
this  humorously  in  part,  although  he  was  not  much 
captivated  by  their  mode  of  living. 

"  That  which  costs  the  least  is  not  always  the  cheap- 
est," remarked  William,  whose  opinions  coincided  with 
those  of  his  brother.  "/  feel  as  if  we  were  having 
pretty  cheap  living ; "  and  he  emphasized  the  word 
"  cheap  "  in  his  peculiar  way. 

"  Well,  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  living  on  the  fat  of 
the  land,"  responded  James.  ''  I  think  I  could  handle 
you  both,"  he  added,  laughingly. 

''There's  no  doubt  of  it,"  replied  Henry;  "you 
would  grow  fat  on  sawdust  pudding,  only  have  enough 
of  it ;  but  this  sticking  to  one  article  of  diet  right 
along  don't  suit  me." 

*'You  are  one  of  the  philosophers  who  maintain 
that  'variety  is  the  spice  of  life,'  in  eating  as  well  as 
in  pleasure,  I  suppose,"  answered  James.  "For  my 
part,  one  thing  at  a  time  will  do  for  me,  if  it  is  only 
good  enough." 

"I  don't  know  of  one  thing  alone  that  is  good 
enough  for  me,"  remarked  Henry.  "  I  go  for  increas- 
ing our  expenses  a  little.  We  can  go  up  to  fifty  cents 
a  week  without  damaging  anybody." 

"That's  what  I  think,"  added  William.  "I  think  I 
can  be  pretty  well  satisfied  with  that." 


238  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

**  Just  as  you  choose,  boys  ;  I  can  make  way  with 
nineteen  cents'  worth  of  luxuries  more,  in  case  of 
necessity,"  replied  James.  ''  Sawdust  pudding  or  plum 
pudding  is  all  the  same  to  me  ;  I  can  thrive  on 
either." 

"Now,  Jim,"  said  Henry,  very  philosophically,  "I 
believe,  after  all,  that  you  are  as  anxious  as  we  are  for 
better  living,  only  you  don't  want  to  own  it,  and  back 
down.  You  are  the  last  fellow  to  back  out  of  any- 
thing." Henry  was  about  right  in  his  remark.  James 
was  not  at  all  unwilling  to  adopt  a  more  expensive 
fare,  although  his  iron  will  would  carry  him  through 
his  work  with  almost  any  sort  of  diet.  His  health 
was  so  robust,  and  his  power  of  endurance  so  great, 
that  he  could  eat  much  or  little,  apparently,  and  thrive. 

The  upshot  of  this  interview  was,  that  James  as- 
sented to  the  increase  of  expenses  to  fifty  cents  per 
week,  each.  Milk  was  continued  chiefly  as  their  diet, 
but  other  things  were  added  for  variety.  The  last 
half  of  the  term  their  board  cost  them  fifty  cents  per 
week. 

James  had  never  spoken  with  the  principal  about 
becoming  a  teacher,  although  he  was  intending  to  do 
it.  But  Mr.  Branch  opened  the  subject  about  the 
middle  of  the  term.  He  well  knew  the  poverty  of 
James,  and  took  additional  interest  in  him  for  that 
reason.  He  felt  that  a  youth  of  his  talents  ought  to 
acquire  an  education  ;  and  he  could  see  no  better  way 
of  accomplishing  it  than  by  teaching  school  in  the 
winter. 

"  How  would  you  like  to  try  your  hand  at  school- 
keeping,  James  t "  inquired  Mr.  Branch. 


AFTER  VACATION.  239 

''  I  intend  to  try  my  hand  at  it  next  winter,  if  I  can 
get  a  school,"  answered  James.  **  My  mother  has 
always  said  that  I  could  get  an  education  if  I  would 
qualify  myself  to  teach  school." 

'*  A  good  plan,  James  ;  I  agree  with  your  mother, 
exactly.  Glad  to  see  that  you  mind  your  mother,  for 
such  boys  usually  come  out  all  right."  Mr.  Branch 
was  in  a  happy  frame  of  mind  when  he  said  this, 
and  his  real  kindness  to  James  appeared  in  every 
word. 

*'Then,"  he  continued,  "what  is  better  than  all, 
you  can  do  a  good  deal  of  good  by  teaching  school. 
You  will  not  only  find  it  the  best  way  to  help  your- 
self, but  you  will  find  it  the  best  way  to  help  others  ; 
and  that  is  the  highest  of  all  considerations.  We 
don't  live  for  ourselves  in  this  world,  or  otight  not  to 
live  for  ourselves  alone.  That  is  too  selfish  and  con- 
temptible to  be  tolerated." 

"  Do  you  think  I  can  obtain  a  school,  without  any 
doubt .''  "  inquired  James. 

"  Unquestionably,"  answered  Mr.  Branch.  "  Teach- 
ers are  more  numerous  than  they  were  ten  years  ago, 
and  so  it  is  with  schools.  More  than  that,  I  think 
you  will  succeed  in  the  business.  Every  one  will  not 
be  successful  in  the  calling." 

"Why  do  you  think  I  shall  succeed }  "  asked  James, 
who  was  curious  to  understand  what  particular  quali- 
ties would  win  in  the  school-house. 

"  You  will  be  well  qualified  ;  that  is  one  thing. 
You  possess  ability  to  express  your  thoughts  readily  ; 
that  is  very  important  for  a  teacher.  Your  mind  is 
discriminating   and    sharp,    to    analyze    and    see    the 


240  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

reason  of  things ;  that  is  also  an  indispensable  quali- 
fication for  a  successful  teacher.  You  will  govern  a 
school  well,  I  think,  without  much  trouble,  A  young 
man  who  is  popular  with  associates  in  study  usually 
makes  a  good  teacher."  This  was  the  honest  reply  of 
the  principal  to  the  last  inquiry  of  James  ;  all  of 
which  was  a  substantial  encouragement  to  the  latter. 
He  began  to  look  forward  to  the  new  occupation  with 
much  pleasure. 

One  incident  occurred  at  this  term  of  school,  relat- 
ing to  its  discipline,  in  which  James  played  a  conspic- 
uous part.  At  that  time  there  were  about  as  many 
rogues  in  a  school  of  one  hundred  pupils  as  there  are 
to-day.  Human  nature  averaged  about  as  it  does  now 
among  pupils.  There  was  the  same  need  of  wise  gov- 
ernment and  watchfulness,  on  the  part  of  the  princi- 
pal, to  maintain  order.  In  this  respect,  the  principal 
was  well  qualified  for  his  position  ;  and  roguish  pupils 
could  not  rebel  against  his  government  with  impunity. 
This  was  quite  well  understood  ;  and  still  there  were 
occasional  scrapes,  in  which  a  class  of  pupils  engaged, 
as  the  best  way,  in  their  estimation,  to  dispose  of  a 
surplus  fund  of  animal  spirits. 

A  youth  of  considerable  pertness  insulted  one  of 
the  town's  people,  and  it  came  to  the  ear  of  the  prin- 
cipal. Indeed,  the  citizen  entered  a  complaint  against 
the  pupil,  rehearsing  the  facts  to  Mr.  Branch.  The 
credit  of  the  school,  and  the  credit  of  the  principal 
himself,  demanded  that  he  should  take  notice  of  the 
matter,  rebuke  the  act,  and  lecture  the  whole  school, 
that  there  might  not  be  a  repetition  of  the  act. 

As  often  happens  in  large  schools,  the  pupils  took 


AFTER  VACATION.  241 

sides  with  the  author  of  the  naughty  deed.  The  sym- 
pathies of  young  people,  especially  in  school,  unite 
them  together  as  by  strong  cords.  Without  regard 
to  the  merits  of  the  case,  they  decide  for  the  accused 
party,  and  sustain  him. 

*'If  Bell  goes,  I  go,"  exclaimed  one  of  the  boys, 
meaning  that  if  the  principal  expelled  Bell,  he  would 
be  one  to  leave  the  school,  also.  The  fact  shows  that 
feeling  played  a  more  prominent  part  in  the  affair  than 
judgment. 

"And  I'll  be  another  to  go,"  answered  a  smart 
young  fellow ;  that  is,  smart  in  his  own  estimation. 

"Will  you  take  me  along  with  you  .? "  asked  a  third, 
who  was  more  disposed  to  show  humor  than  passion. 
"  I'll  add  one  to  the  company." 

"  Me,  too  !  "  exclaimed  a  fourth.  "  Put  me  down 
for  that  scrape.  A  great  many  folks  think  that 
school-boys  have  no  rights." 

In  this  way  the  subject  was  discussed  among  a  class 
of  the  boys,  and  even  some  girls  signified  a  willingness 
to  express  their  indignation  in  some  such  way  as  that 
proposed.  It  was  claimed  that  as  many  as  "twenty" 
pupils  would  quit  school  if  Bell  was  expelled.  But 
when,  at  last,  they  came  around  to  James  with  their 
proposition,  they  met  with  a  serious  embarrassment. 

"Why  should  I  leave  the  school,  because  another 
fellow  is  sent  away  ?  "  answered  James.  "  Can  you 
tell  me .? " 

Of  course  they  could  not  give  a  reason  why  he 
should.     One  boy  did  venture  to  reply,  — 

"We  want  to  show  our  indignation." 

"  Indignation  about  what  ? "  asked  James.     - 


242  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"At  sending  Bell  away." 

"  But  he  is  not  sent  away,  yet ;  and  he  may  not  be.'* 

"Well,  I  don't  believe  in  treating  a  fellow  so." 

"  How  ?  "  persisted  James. 

"  Why,  call  a  fellow  up,  and  make  such  a  touse  over 
his  way  of  speaking  to  a  man." 

"  How  did  he  speak  }  " 

"  The  citizen  claims  that  he  insulted  him.  But 
that's  not  the  thing  for  us  boys  to  look  at ;  we  ought 
to  stand  by  our  fellows." 

"  Stand  by  them,  right  or  wrong  } "  inquired 
James. 

"  Yes,  if  necessary." 

"  Well,  I  shall  not,"  answered  James,  emphatically. 
"  If  one  of  our  fellows  gets  into  a  scrape,  I  will  not 
help  him  out,  unless  it  can  be  done  honorably ;  you 
can  depend  on  that." 

"  I  think  it  is  mean,"  continued  the  boy,  "  for  a  citi- 
zen to  complain  of  a  scholar  just  because  he  did  not 
use  his  tongue  quite  right," 

"  I  don't  agree  with  you,"  answered  James  ;  "  Bell 
ought  to  use  his  tongue  as  well  as  he  does  his  hands, 
for  all  that  I  can  see  ;  and  if  he  gets  into  trouble,  he 
has  no  one  to  blame  but  himself." 

"That  may  all  be  true,"  added  Bell's  persistent 
friend  ;  "  but  if  he  gets  into  trouble  thoughtlessly,  I 
am  willing  to  help  him  out." 

"So  am  I,"  quickly  responded  James;  "provided  he 
is  sorry,  and  is  willing  to  be  helped  out  of  it  in  a 
proper  way." 

"  I  suppose,  by  that,  you  have  not  a  good  opinion  of 
our  method  of  helping  him  } " 


AFTER  VACATION.  24^ 

"  No,  I  have  not.  If  Bell  will  apologize  to  the  citi- 
zen, and  signify  to  Mr.  Branch  that  he  is  sorry,  and 
will  not  repeat  the  insult,  I  will  be  among  the  first  to 
intercede  for  him,  but  he  must  help  himself,  before  I 
am  willing  to  help  him." 

This  ended  the  proposed  rebellion  in  school.  Bell 
did  make  all  suitable  amends  for  his  misconduct,  and 
remained  in  the  school.  The  incident  illustrates  a 
prominent  trait  of  character  in  James,  running  through 
his  life.  He  had  an  opinion  of  his  own,  and  main- 
tained it,  in  his  youth,  as  he  did  in  later  life.  He 
would  not  knowingly  defend  even  a  school-companion 
in  wrong-doing.  He  repudiated  the  so-called  "  code 
of  honor  "  in  schools,  requiring  boys  to  support  each 
other,  whether  right  or  wrong. 

The  fall  term  was  a  very  profitable  one  to  James. 
His  scholarship  became  fully  established.  He  led  the 
school  in  talents  and  progress.  He  paid  all  his  bills, 
also,  by  his  daily  labor  in  the  carpenter's  shop,  and 
had  several  dollars  left  for  pocket-money  at  the  close 
of  the  term. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

KEEPING    SCHOOL. 

I  HE  next  day  after  James  reached  home,  at 
the  close  of  the  term,  he  started  out  to  find 
a  situation  as  teacher. 

"  When   will  you  return  }  '*  inquired  his 
mother. 

"  When  I  get  a  school.  Somehow  I  feel  as  if  it 
would  be  a  hard  matter  to  get  a  school." 

"  I  hope  not,  my  son,"  answered  his  mother,  rejoic- 
ing in  her  heart  that  James  was  going  to  be  a  teacher, 
and  not  a  sailor. 

"  /  hope  not,"  responded  James  ;  "  but  I  don't  seem 
to  feel  as  elated  over  the  prospect  as  I  did  once.  I 
shall  do  my  best,  however,  and  I  may  be  gone  several 
days." 

James  took  the  most  favorable  route,  on  foot,  and 
made  his  first  application  about  ten  miles  from  home. 

"  You  are  too  young,"  replied  the  committee  to  his 
application ;  "  we  don't  want  a  dojy  to  teach  our 
school." 

*'  I  have  a  recommendation  from  Mr.  Branch,  Prin- 
cipal of  the  Geauga  Seminary ; "  and  he  proceeded  to 
exhibit  his  testimonials. 

a44 


KEEPING  SCHOOL.  245 

"No  matter  about  that,"  replied  the  committee-man. 
"  No  doubt  you  know  enough,  but  you  can't  make 
yourself  any  older  than  you  are ;  that's  the  trouble. 
We've  had  boys  enough  keep  our  school." 

This  was  quite  a  damper  upon  the  ardor  of  James ; 
and  he  left  the  man,  and  continued  his  journey, 
reflecting  upon  the  value  of  age  to  pedagogues. 

The  next  school  district  that  he  reached  had 
engaged  a  teacher. 

**  If  you  had  come  a  week  ago,  I'd  hired  yer,"  the 
man  said. 

It  w^as  encouraging  to  James  that  he  had  found  a 
district  where  age  was  not  an  absolute  requirement. 
He  thought  better  of  youth,  now. 

*' Possibly  in  the  Norton  District  they've  not  a 
teacher  yet,"  the  man  added. 

*'  Where's  that }  "  inquired  James. 

"About  three  miles  north  of  here,"  pointing  with 
his  finger.  "Go  to  Mr.  Nelson;  he's  the  man  you 
want  ter  see.     He'll  hire  yer,  if  he's  no  teacher." 

James  posted  away  to  the  Norton  District,  and 
found  Mr.  Nelson,  just  about  dark. 

"Just  found  a  teacher,  young  man,  and  hired  him," 
Mr.  Nelson  said.     "  Can't  very  well  hire  another." 

"Of  course  not,"  answered  James;  "and  perhaps 
the  one  you  hired  needs  the  chance  as  much  as  I  do." 

"Perhaps  so  ;  he's  trying  to  get  an  education." 

"  So  am  I,"  responded  James. 

"Where.?" 

"At  Geauga  Seminary." 

"Ah!  we  had  a  teacher  from  that  seminary,  two 
years  ago,  and  he  was  as  good  a  teacher  as  we  ever 
had." 


246  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"That  is  fortunate  for  me,"  remarked  James, 
pleasantly.  "  If  he  had  not  proved  a  good  teacher 
you  would  not  want  another  from  that  institution." 

**  Very  like,"  replied  Mr.  Nelson.  **  But  come,  you 
can't  look  after  any  more  schools  to-night ;  it  is  get- 
ting dark.     Come  in,  and  stop  over  night  with  us." 

James  accepted  the  cordial  invitation,  stopped  with 
the  family  over  night,  and,  on  the  following  day,  con- 
tinued his  school-hunting  trip.  But  he  did  not  find 
a  school.  He  met  with  one  committee-man  who 
declined  to  hire  him  because  "  We  had  one  feller 
from  Gaga  Seminary,  and  he  made  sich  a  botch  of  it 
that  we  don't  want  another." 

After  two  days  of  hard  work  in  the  vain  search  for  a 
school,  James  reached  home  more  thoroughly  discour- 
aged than  his  mother  ever  knew  him  to  be  before. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  find  a  school ;  most  of  them 
have  teachers  engaged,"  said  James.  And  he  gave 
a  full  account  of  his  travels  and  disappointments. 

**  Perhaps  the  Lord  has  something  better  for  you  in 
store,  James,"  answered  his  mother.  "  It  is  not  best 
for  you  to  be  discouraged,  after  you  have  overcome  so 
many  obstacles." 

James  did  not  tell  his  mother  that  if  the  Lord  had 
anything  better  in  store  for  him  he  would  be  obliged 
if  he  would  make  it  known ;  but  he  thought  so. 

"  You  are  tired  enough  to  go  to  bed,"  added  his 
mother ;  "  and  to-morrow  you  can  talk  with  your 
Uncle  Amos  about  it." 

Uncle  Amos  was  their  counsellor  in  all  times  of  trial ; 
and  James  accepted  the  suggestion  as  a  kind  of  solace, 
and  retired. 


KEEPING  SCHOOL.  247 

The  next  morning,  before  he  was  up,  he  heard  a 
man  call  to  his  mother,  from  the  road. 

"Widow  Garfield!" 

She  responded  by  going  to  the  door. 

"  Where's  your  boy,  Jim  ?  " 

*'He  is  at  home.  He  is  not  up,  yet,"  Mrs.  Garfield 
replied,  a  little  curious  to  know  what  he  wanted  of 
James  so  early  in  the  morning. 

"  I  wonder  if  he'd  like  to  keep  our  school  at  the 
Ledge,  this  winter,"  the  man  continued. 

James  bounded  out  of  bed  at  the  sound  of  the  word 
scJiooly  beginning  to  think  that  Providence  had  sent  an 
angel,  in  the  shape  of  a  man,  to  bring  the  "  something 
better,"  which  his  mother  told  about.  He  stood  face 
to  face  with  the  man  in  an  incredibly  brief  period. 
The  caller  was  a  well-known  neighbor,  living  only  a 
mile  away,  and  the  school  for  which  he  wanted  a 
teacher  was  not  much  further  than  that. 

*'  How  is  it,  Jim  ;  will  you  keep  our  school  at  the 
Ledge,  this  winter  ?  "  he  inquired. 

''I  want  a  school,"  was  James'  indirect  reply.  He 
knew  the  character  of  the  school,  —  that  it  was  rough 
and  boisterous,  —  and  he  hesitated. 

"  Reg'lar  set  of  barbarians,  you  know,  Jim,  down 
there,"  the  man  continued. 

"■  Yes  ;  I  know  it  is  a  hard  school  to  teach.  Do  you 
think  I  can  manage  it  .!*  All  the  scholars  know  me." 
This  reply  of  James  showed  what  thoughts  were  pass- 
ing through  his  mind.     The  committee-man  replied  : 

"  They  all  know  you,  of  course ;  and  they  know  that 
you  can  whip  the  whole  of  them  without  any  trouble, 
if  you  set  about  it  ;  and  you  are  just  the  chap  to  run 


248  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  school.  The  boys  have  driven  out  the  master  for 
two  winters,  now  ;  and  I  want  somebody  to  control 
the  school  this  winter,  if  he  don't  do  a  thing  but 
stand  over  them  with  a  cane.  A  thrashing  all  round 
would  do  them  an  immense  amount  of  good.  Now, 
what  do  you  say  "i  Give  you  twelve  dollars  a  month 
and  board." 

This  portrayal  of  the  character  of  the  school  rather 
discouraged  James  than  otherwise ;  but  his  mother 
spoke,  by  way  of  helping  him  out  of  the  difficulty : 

"  This  is  an  unexpected  call  to  James,  and  he  had 
better  consider  it  to-day,  and  let  you  know  his  de- 
cision to-night." 

"  I  will  do  that,"  said  James. 

"  That  will  answer ;  but  I  hope  you  won't  fail  me," 
the  man  responded,  and  drove  off. 

"  Go  over  and  consult  your  uncle  Amos,  after  break- 
fast," advised  his  mother.  *'  It  is  a  very  difficult 
school  to  undertake  for  the  first  one." 

"  I  should  prefer  to  teach  among  strangers,  at  least 
my  first  school,"  responded  James.  *'  Do  you  think 
this  is  the  *  something  better'  Providence  had  in  store 
for  me  .'* " 

"  Perhaps  so.  If  you  should  be  successful  in  this 
school,  your  reputation  as  a  teacher  would  be  estab- 
lished ;  you  would  have  no  more  trouble  in  finding 
schools  to  keep." 

"  I  see  that ;  and  still,  if  I  had  a  chance  to  take  a 
school  among  strangers,  I  should  decline  this  one," 
said  James. 

"  Perhaps  that  is  the  very  reason  you  did  not  find  a 
school.     Providence  means  you  shall  take  this  one.     I 


KEEPING  SCHOOL.  249 

really  think,  James,  that  this  is  the  correct  view  of  the 
case." 

James  could  not  suppress  a  laugh  over  this  turn  of 
affairs ;  nor  could  he  fail  to  respect  his  mother's 
moral  philosophy.  He  really  began  to  think  that 
Providence  was  forcing  him  to  take  this  school,  and  he 
mentally  decided  to  take  it  before  he  saw  Uncle  Amos. 

*'  Tough  school,"  remarked  Uncle  Amos,  when 
James  sought  his  advice.  "  Those  rough  fellows  have 
had  their  way  so  long  in  school  that  it  will  be  a  hard 
matter  to  bring  them  into  subjection.  How  do  you 
feel  about  it  yourself }  " 

"  I  would  prefer  to  teach  where  the  scholars  are  not 
acquainted  with  me,"  replied  James. 

*'  That  might  make  a  difference  with  some  teach- 
ers, James  ;  but  the  boys  have  nothing  against  you. 
Perhaps  they  will  behave  better  because  they  know 
you  so  well.  I  think  they  respect  you,  and  that  will 
be  a  great  help." 

"Then  you  think  I  had  better  teach  the  school }  " 
remarked  James,  understanding  the  drift  of  his  uncle's 
remarks  to  mean  that. 

*'  On  the  whole,  I  am  inclined  to  think  you  had 
better  teach  the  school." 

"  If  I  had  an  opportunity  to  teach  a  better  school, 
you  would  not  advise  me  to  take  the  one  at  the  Ledge  : 
I  understand  you  to  mean  this." 

''  About  that,"  his  uncle  answered.  Pausing  a  few  mo- 
ments, as  if  to  reflect  upon  the  matter,  he  continued : 

"It  is  just  here,  James  ;  you  will  begin  that  school 
as  *  Jim  Garfield  ; '  now,  if  you  can  leave  it,  at  the 
close  of  the  term,  as  *  Mr.  Garfield,'  your  reputation  as 


250  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

a  teacher  will  be  established,  and  you  will  do  more 
good  than  you  can  in  any  other  school  in  Ohio." 

Uncle  Amos  was  a  very  wise  man,  and  James  knew 
it.  His  opinion  upon  all  subjects  was  a  kind  of  rule 
to  be  followed  in  the  Garfield  family.  In  this  case,  his 
counsel  was  wise  as  possible ;  its  wisdom  appeared  in 
every  word. 

"  I  shall  take  the  school,"  said  James,  decidedly,  as 
he  rose  to  go. 

"  I  think  it  will  prove  the  best  decision,"  added  his 
uncle. 

The  committee-man  was  notified  according  to  agree- 
ment, and  within  two  days  it  was  noised  over  the  dis- 
trict that  *'Jim  Garfield"  would  teach  the  winter 
school.  At  first,  remarks  were  freely  bandied  about, 
pro  and  con,  and  the  boys  and  girls,  too,  expressed 
themselves  very  decidedly  upon  the  subject,  one  way 
or  the  other.  Before  school  commenced,  however,  the 
general  opinion  of  the  district,  parents  and  pupils,  was 
about  as  one  of  the  large  boys  expressed  it : 

"  I  like  Jim  :  he's  a  good  feller,  and  he  knows  more'n 
all  the  teachers  we  ever  had.  I  guess  we  better  mind. 
He  can  lick  us  easy  'nuf,  if  we  don't ;  and  he'll  do  it." 

This  hopeful  school-boy  understood  that  the  com- 
mittee-man had  instructed  James  to  keep  order  and 
command  obedience,  "  if  he  had  to  lick  every  scholar 
in  school  a  dozen  times  over." 

It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  James  en- 
tered upon  his  new  vocation.  He  dreaded  the  under- 
taking far  more  than  he  confessed  ;  and  when  he  left 
home,  on  the  morning  his  school  began,  he  remarked 
to  his  mother : 


KEEPING  SCHOOL.  25  I 

*'  Perhaps  I  shall  be  back  before  noon,  through  with 
school-keeping,"  signifying  that  the  boys  might  run 
over  him  at  the  outset. 

"  I  expect  that  you  will  succeed,  and  be  the  most 
popular  teacher  in  town,"  was  his  mother's  encour- 
aging reply.  She  saw  that  James  needed  some  brac- 
ing up  in  the  trying  circumstances. 

James  had  determined  in  his  own  mind  to  run  the 
school  without  resorting  to  the  use  of  rod  or  ferule,  if 
possible.  He  meant  that  his  government  should  be 
firm,  but  kind  and  considerate.  He  was  wise  enough 
to  open  his  labor  on  the  first  morning  without  laying 
down  a  string  of  rigid  rules.  He  simply  assured  the 
pupils  he  was  there  to  aid  them  in  their  studies,  that 
they  might  make  rapid  progress  ;  that  all  of  them 
were  old  enough  to  appreciate  the  purpose  and  advan- 
tages of  the  school,  and  he  should  expect  their  cordial 
cooperation.  He  should  do  the  best  that  he  could  to 
have  an  excellent  school,  and  if  the  scholars  would  do 
the  same,  both  teacher  and  pupils  would  have  a  good 
time,  and  the  best  school  in  town. 

Many  older  heads  than  he  hav^e  displayed  less  wis- 
dom in  taking  charge  of  a  difficult  school.  His  method 
appeared  to  be  exactly  adapted  to  the  circumstances 
under  which  he  assumed  charge.  He  was  on  good 
terms  with  the  larger  boys  before,  but  now  those  har- 
monious relations  were  confirmed. 

We  must  use  space  only  to  sum  up  the  work  of  the 
winter.  The  bad  boys  voluntarily  yielded  to  the  teach- 
er's authority,  and  behaved  creditably  to  themselves 
and  satisfactorily  to  their  teacher.  There  was  no  at- 
tempt to  override  the  government  of  the  school,  and 


252  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

former  rowdyism,  that  had  been  the  bane  of  the 
school,  disappeared.  The  pupils  bent  their  energies 
to  study,  as  if  for  the  first  time  they  understood  what 
going  to  school  meant.  James  interested  the  larger 
scholars  in  spelling-matches,  in  which  all  found  much 
enjoyment  as  well  as  profit.  He  joined  in  the  games 
and  sports  of  the  boys  at  noon,  his  presence  proving  a 
restraint  upon  the  disposition  of  some  to  be  vulgar 
and  profane.  He  was  perfectly  familiar  with  his 
scholars,  and  yet  he  was  so  correct  and  dignified  in  his 
ways,  that  the  wildest  boys  could  but  respect  him. 

James  ''  boarded  around,"  as  was  the  universal 
custom  ;  and  this  brought  him  into  every  family,  in  the 
course  of  the  winter.  Here  he  enjoyed  an  additional 
opportunity  to  influence  his  pupils.  He  took  special 
pains  to  aid  them  in  their  studies,  and  to  make  the 
evenings  entertaining  to  the  members  of  the  families. 
He  read  aloud  to  them,  rehearsed  history,  told  stories, 
availing  himself  of  his  quite  extensive  reading  to 
furnish  material.  In  this  way  he  gained  a  firm  hold 
both  of  the  parents  and  their  children. 

His  Sabbaths  were  spent  at  home  with  his  mother, 
during  the  winter.  The  Disciples'  meeting  had 
become  a  fixed  institution,  so  that  he  attended  divine 
worship  every  Sabbath.  A  preacher  was  officiating 
at  the  time,  in  whom  James  became  particularly  inter- 
ested. He  was  a  very  earnest  preacher,  a  devout 
Christian,  and  a  man  of  strong  native  abilities.  He 
possessed  a  tact  for  *'  putting  things,"  as  men  call  it, 
and  made  his  points  sharply  and  forcibly.  He  was 
just  suited  to  interest  a  youth  like  James,  and  his 
preaching  made  a  deep  impression  upon  him.     From 


KEEPING  SCHOOL.  253 


week  to  week  that  impression  deepened,  until  he 
resolved  to  become  a  Christian  at  once  ;  and  he  did. 
Before  the  close  of  his  school  he  gave  good  evidence 
that  he  had  become  a  true  child  of  God.  And  now 
his  mother's  cup  of  joy  was  overflowing.  She  saw 
distinctly  the  way  in  which  God  had  led  him,  and  her 
gratitude  was  unbounded.  James  saw,  too,  how  it 
was  that  his  mother's  prophecy  was  fulfilled  :  **  Provi- 
dence has  something  better  in  store  for  you." 

The  verdict  of  parents  and  pupils,  at  the  close  of 
the  term,  was,  "The  best  teacher  we  ever  had." 
So  James  parted  with  his  scholars,  sharing  their 
confidence  and  esteem ;  and  his  uncle  Amos  was 
satisfied,  because  he  left  the  school  as  Mr.  Gar- 
field. 

He  returned  to  Geauga  Seminary,  not  to  board  him- 
self, but  to  board  with  Mr.  Woodworth,  the  carpenter, 
according  to  previous  arrangement.  Mr.  Woodworth 
boarded  him  for  ^1.06  per  week,  including  his  wash- 
ing, and  took  his  pay  in  labor.  It  was  an  excellent 
opportunity  for  James,  as  well  as  for  the  carpenter. 
His  chief  labor  in  the  shop  was  planing  boards.  On 
the  first  Saturday  after  his  return  he  planed  fifty-one 
boards,  at  two  cents  apiece  ;  thus  earning,  on  that  day, 
one  dollar  and  two  cents,  nearly  enough  to  pay  a 
week's  board. 

We  shall  pass  over  the  details  of  his  schooling,  that 
year,  to  his  school-keeping  at  Warrensville,  the  follow- 
ing winter,  where  he  was  paid  sixteen  dollars  a  month 
and  board.  It  was  a  larger  and  more  advanced 
school  than  the  one  of  the  previous  winter,  in  a 
pleasanter    neighborhood,    and    a    more    convenient 


254  LOC-CAB/.X   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 


school-house.  We  shall  stop  to  relate  but  two 
incidents  connected  with  his  winter's  work,  except  to 
say  that  his  success  was  complete. 

One  of  the  more  advanced  scholars  wanted  to 
study  geometry,  and  James  had  given  no  attention  to 
it.  He  did  not  wish  to  let  the  scholar  know  that  he 
had  never  studied  it,  for  he  knew  full  well  that  he 
could  keep  in  advance  of  his  pupil,  and  teach  him  as 
he  desired.  So  he  purchased  a  text-book,  studied 
geometry  at  night,  sometimes  extending  his  studies 
far  into  the  night,  and  carried  his  pupil  through, 
without  the  latter  dreaming  that  his  teacher  was 
not  an  expert  in  the  science.  James  considered  this 
as  clear  gain ;  for  he  would  not  have  mastered 
geometry  that  winter,  but  for  this  necessity  laid 
upon  him.  It  left  him  more  time  in  school  for  other 
studies. 

This  fact  is  a  good  illustration  of  what  James  once 
said  after  he  was  in  public  life,  viz.  :  **A  young  man 
should  be  equal  to  more  than  the  task  before  him  ;  he 
should  possess  reserved  power."  He  had  not  pursued 
geometry,  but  he  was  equal  to  it  in  the  emergency. 
His  reserved  force  carried  him  triumphantly  over  a 
hard  place. 

One  day  he  fell,  when  engaged  in  out  door  sports 
with  his  big  boys,  the  result  of  which  was  a  large  rent 
in  his  pantaloons.  They  were  well-worn,  and  so  thin 
that  it  did  not  require  much  of  a  pressure  to  push  one 
of  his  knees  through  them.  He  pinned  up  the  rent  as 
well  as  he  could,  and  went  to  his  boarding-place,  after 
school,  with  a  countenance  looking  almost  as  forlorn 
as  his  trousers.     He  was  boarding  with  a  Mrs.  Stiles, 


KEEPING  SCHOOL.  255 

at  the  time,  a  motherly  kind  of  a  woman,  possessing 
considerable  sharpness  of  intellect. 

"See  what  a  plight  I  am  in,  Mrs.  Stiles,"  showing 
the  rent  in  his  pants. 

*'  I  see  ;  how  did  you  do  that  "i  "  said  Mrs.  Stiles. 

"Blundering  about,  as  usual,"  James  replied.  "I 
hardly  know  what  I  shall  do." 

"What!  so  scared  at  a  rent.-*"  the  good  lady  ex- 
claimed; "that's  nothing." 

"It  is  a  good  deal,  when  it  is  all  the  pantaloons  a 
fellow  has,"  answered  James.  "This  is  all  the  suit  I 
possess  in  the  world,  poor  as  it  is." 

"  It  is  good  enough,  and  there's  enough  of  it  as  long 
as  it  lasts,"  replied  the  good  woman ;  "make  the  best 
of  things." 

"  I  think  I  could  make  the  best  of  an  extra  suit," 
responded  James ;  "but  this  making  the  best  of  a  single 
suit,  and  a  flimsy  one  at  that,  is  asking  too  much."  He 
said  this  humorously. 

"  Well,"  continued  Mrs.  Stiles,  "  I  can  darn  that 
rent  so  that  it  will  be  just  as  good  as  new,  if  not  better. 
That's  easy  enough  done." 

"On  me .''"  asked  James,  in  his  innocence. 

"  Mercy,  no !  When  you  go  to  bed,  one  of  the  boys 
will  bring  down  your  trousers,  and  I'll  mend  them.  In 
the  morning,  no  one  will  know  that  you  met  with  such 
an  accident.  You  mustn't  let  such  small  matters 
trouble  you.  You'll  forget  all  about  them,  when  you 
become  President." 

James's  wardrobe  was  not  much  more  elaborate  at 
this  time  than  it  was  when  he  began  attending  school 
at  Chester.     He  had  no  overcoat  nor  underclothing, 


256  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

preferring  to  expose  his  body  to  the  cold  rather  than 
rob  his  mind  of  knowledge. 

At  the  close  of  his  school  in  Warrensville,  James 
returned  home,  where  an  unexpected  change  in  his 
programme  awaited  him. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THIRD   YEAR  AT   SCHOOL. 

AMES  spent  three  years  at  Geauga  Semi- 
nary, including  school-keeping  in  winter. 
It  was  during  his  last  term  there  that  he 
met  a  young  man  who  was  a  graduate  of  a 
New  England  college.  James  had  never  thought  of 
extending  his  education  so  far  as  a  college  course.  He 
scarcely  thought  it  was  possible,  in  his  extreme  poverty, 
to  do  it. 

"  You  can  do  it,"  said  the  graduate.  "  Several 
students  did  it,  when  I  was  in  college.  I  did  it,  in  part, 
myself." 

"  How  could  I  do  it.-*"  inquired  James. 

"  In  the  first  place,"  answered  the  graduate,  *'  there 
is  a  fund  in  most  of  the  New  England  colleges,  perhaps 
in  all  of  them,  the  income  of  which  goes  to  aid  indigent 
students.  It  is  small,  to  be  sure,  but  then,  every  little 
helps,  when  one  is  in  a  tight  place.  Then  there  is  a 
great  call  for  school-teachers  in  the  winter,  and  college 
students  are  sought  after." 

"  How  much  is  the  annual  expense,  to  an  economical 
student."*"  asked  James. 

"  It  varies  somewhat  in  different  colleges,  though 

3S7 


258  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

two  hundred  dollars  a  year,  not  including  apparel, 
could  be  made  to  cover  the  running  yearly  expenses,  I 
think.  A  young  man  would  be  obliged  to  be  very 
saving  in  order  to  do  it." 

"  I  am  used  to  that,"  added  James.  "  They  say  that 
'necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention,*  and  I  have  in- 
vented a  good  many  ways  of  living  cheaply." 

"I  have  known  students  to  obtain  jobs  of  work  in 
term  time,  —  those  who  know  how  to  do  certain  work," 
continued  the  graduate.  "  I  knew  a  student  who 
took  care  of  a  man's  garden  two  summers,  for  which 
he  received  liberal  pay.  I  knew  one  who  taught  a 
gentleman's  son  in  the  place,  an  hour  or  so  every  day, 
for  which  he  was  paid  well.  The  boy  was  in  delicate 
health,  not  able  to  enter  a  school  for  hard  study.  I 
have  known  students  to  get  jobs  of  the  faculty,  about 
the  college  buildings.  I  knew  one  student  who  sawed 
wood  for  his  fellow-students,  in  the  fall  and  winter 
terms,  and  he  was  one  of  the  best  scholars  in  his  class. 
He  was  very  popular,  too,  and  was  honored  for  his 
perseverance  in  acquiring  an  education.  I  think  that 
he  must  have  paid  half  of  his  bills  by  sawing  wood." 

James  began  to  see  further  than  he  did.  In  his 
imagination,  he  began  to  picture  a  college  building  at 
the  end  of  his  career.  It  was  further  off  than  he  had 
intended  to  go  in  the  way  of  study,  but  the  way  before 
him  seemed  to  open  up  to  it.  What  he  supposed  was 
impossible,  now  appeared  among  possibilities. 

"  What  is  the  shortest  time  that  it  would  require 
me  to  prepare  for  and  get  through  college?"  James 
asked  further, 

"  The  necessary  time  is  four  years  in  preparation, 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  259 

and  four  years  in  college,"  the  graduate  answered. 
"  Some  students  shorten  the  preparatory  course,  and 
enter  college  one  year  in  advance." 

"  /  should  have  to  lengthen  it  in  order  to  earn  the 
money  to  pay  my  way,"  responded  James.  "  I  would 
be  willing  to  undertake  it,  if  I  could  get  through  in 
twelve  years,  and  pay  all  my  bills." 

"  You  can  get  through  in  less  time  than  that,  I 
know.  I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  students  sometimes 
enter  college  with  money  enough  to  carry  them 
through  the  first  two  years  ;  then  they  stay  out  a  year, 
and  teach  an  academy  or  high  school,  for  which  they 
receive  sufficient  remuneration  to  carry  them  through 
the  remainder  of  the  course.  It  is  a  better  plan,  I 
think,  than  to  teach  a  district  school  each  winter ;  it 
don't  interfere  so  much  with  the  studies  of  the  college, 
and  it  is  easier  for  the  student.  Then  I  have  known 
several  students  who  borrowed  the  money  of  friends 
to  pay  their  bills,  relying  upon  teaching,  after  getting 
through  college,  to  liquidate  the  debt.  By  waiting  until 
their  college  course  was  completed,  they  obtained  more 
eligible  situations,  at  a  higher  salary,  than  would  have 
been  possible  before." 

"Well,  I  have  no  friends  having  money  to  loan," 
remarked  James.  "  I  shall  have  to  content  myself 
with  working  my  own  way  by  earning  all  my  money 
as  I  go  along ;  and  I  am  willing  to  do  it.  I  had  never 
thought  it  possible  for  me  to  go  to  college  ;  but  now  I 
believe  that  I  shall  try  it." 

"  I  hope  you  will,"  answered  the  graduate,  who 
had  learned  of  James'  ability,  and  who  had  seen 
enough  of  him  to  form  a  high  opinion  of  his  talents. 


26o  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  You  will  never  regret  the  step,  I  am  sure.  You 
get  something  in  a  college  education  that  you  can 
never  lose,  and  it  will  always  be  a  passport  into  the 
best  society." 

From  that  time  James  was  fully  decided  to  take  a 
college  course,  or,  at  least,  to  try  for  it ;  and  he  im- 
mediately added  Latin  and  Greek  to  his  studies. 

During  the  last  year  of  his  connection  with  Geauga 
Seminary,  James  united  with  the  Disciples'  church  in 
Orange.  He  took  the  step  after  much  reflection,  and 
he  took  it  for  greater  usefulness.  At  once  he  became 
an  active,  working  Christian,  in  Chester.  He  spoke 
and  prayed  in  meeting  ;  he  urged  the  subject  of  reli- 
gion upon  the  attention  of  his  companions,  privately 
as  well  as  publicly ;  he  seconded  the  religious  efforts 
of  the  principal,  and  assisted  him  essentially  in  the 
conduct  of  religious  meetings.  In  short,  the  same 
earnest  spirit  pervaded  his  Christian  life  that  had  dis- 
tinguished his  secular  career. 

In  religious  meetings,  his  simple,  earnest  appeals, 
eloquently  expressed,  attracted  universal  attention. 
There  was  a  naturalness  and  fervor  in  his  addresses 
that  held  an  audience  remarkably.  Many  attended 
meetings  to  hear  him  speak,  and  for  no  other  reason. 
His  power  as  a  public  speaker  began  to  show  itself 
unmistakably  at  that  time.  No  doubt  his  youthful  ap- 
pearance lent  a  charm  to  his  words. 

"  He  is  a  born  preacher,"  remarked  Mr.  Branch  to 
one  of  the  faculty,  "and  he  will  make  his  mark  in  that 
profession." 

"One  secret  of  his  power  is,  that  he  is  wholly  un- 
conscious of  it,"  answered  the  member  of  the  faculty 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  26 1 

addressed.  "  It  seems  to  me,  he  is  the  most  eminent 
example  of  that  I  ever  knew.  He  appears  to  lose  all 
thought  of  himself  in  the  subject  before  him.  He  is 
not  a  bold  young  man  at  all ;  he  is  modest  as  any  stu- 
dent in  the  academy,  and  yet,  in  speaking,  he  seems 
to  be  so  absorbed  in  his  theme  that  fear  is  banished. 
He  will  make  a  power  in  the  pulpit,  if  present  appear- 
ances foreshadow  the  future." 

"It  cannot  be  otherwise,"  responded  Mr.  Branch, 
"  if  cause  and  effect  follow  each  other.  He  develops 
very  rapidly,  indeed.  I  wish  it  were  possible  for  him 
to  have  a  college  education." 

All  seemed  to  take  it  for  granted  that  James  would 
be  a  preacher,  although  he  had  not  signified  to  any 
one  that  he  intended  to  be.  He  had  given  no  thought 
to  that  particular  subject.  He  was  too  much  ab- 
sorbed in  his  studies,  too  much  in  love  with  them,  to 
settle  that  question.  But  his  interest  in  religious  things, 
and  his  ability  as  a  speaker,  alone  led  them  to  this  con- 
clusion.    The  same  feeling  existed  among  the  pupils. 

"  Jim  will  be  a  minister,  now,"  remarked  one  of  his 
companions  to  Henry. 

"  Perhaps  so,"  was  Henry's  only  reply. 

"  He  will  make  a  good  one,  sure,"  chimed  in  a  third. 
**  By  the  time  he  gets  into  the  pulpit,  he  will  astonish 
the  natives." 

"  That  will  be  ten  years  from  now,"  said  the  first 
speaker. 

"Not  so  long  as  that,"  rejoined  Henry.  "Five  or 
six  years  is  long  enough." 

"  He  won't  wear  trousers  of  Kentucky  jean,  then," 
added  the  second  speaker,  in  a  jocose  manner. 


262  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


"  He  won't  care  whether  he  does  or  not,"  remarked 
Henry.  ''  He  would  wear  Kentucky  jean  just  as 
quick  as  broadcloth  ;  such  things  are  wholly  unimpor- 
tant in  his  estimation." 

So  the  matter  of  his  becoming  a  preacher  was  dis- 
cussed, all  appearing  to  think  that  he  was  destined  to 
become  a  pulpit  orator.  Doubtless  some  thought  it 
was  the  only  profession  he  would  be  qualified  to  fill. 

During  the  summer  vacation  of  his  last  year  at 
Geauga  Seminary,  in  connection  with  a  schoolmate, 
he  sought  work  among  the  farmers  in  the  vicinity. 
He  found  no  difficulty  in  securing  jobs  to  suit  his 
most  sanguine  expectations.  An  amusing  incident 
occurred  with  one  of  the  farmers  to  whom  he  applied 
for  work. 

"What  do  you  know  about  work.?"  inquired  the 
farmer,  surveying  them  from  head  to  foot,  and  seem- 
ing to  question  their  fitness  for  his  farm. 

"  We  have  worked  at  farming,"  answered  James, 
modestly.  * 

"  Can  you  mow  }  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  Can  you  mow  well? "  emphasizing  the  last 
word. 

"  You  can  tell  by  trying  us,"  answered  James,  not 
wishing  to  praise  his  own  ability  at  labor. 

"  What  wages  do  you  want .''  " 

"Just  what  you  think  is  right." 

"  Well,  that  is  fair  ;  where  did  you  come  from  }  " 

James  enlightened  him  on  this  subject,  and  in- 
formed him,  also,  that  they  were  trying  to  get  an  edu- 
cation. 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  263 

"  You  are  plucky  boys,"  the  farmer  added ;  **  I 
think  you  may  go  to  work." 

He  conducted  them  to  the  hay-field,  where  they 
were  provided  with  scythes,  remarking  to  the  three 
men  already  mowing,  ''  Here  are  two  boys,  who  will 
help  you." 

James  exchanged  glances  with  his  companion,  and 
the  initiated  might  have  discovered  in  their  mutual 
smiles  an  inkling  of  what  was  coming.  Their  glances 
at  each  other  said,  as  plainly  as  words,  "  Let  us  beat 
these  fellows,  though  we  are  boys.''  James  thought 
that  the  farmer  emphasized  the  word  boys  more  than 
was  justifiable. 

The  boys  had  mowed  an  hour,  the  farmer  being  an 
interested  witness,  when  the  latter  cried  out  to  the 
three  men  : 

*'  See  here,  you  lubbers  ;  those  boys  are  beating  you 
all  holler.  Their  swaths  are  wider,  and  they  mow 
better  than  you  do.  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of 
yourselves." 

The  men  made  no  reply,  but  bent  their  energies  to 
work  more  resolutely.  The  boys,  too,  were  silent, 
although  they  enjoyed  the  praise  of  their  employer 
very  much.  They  comprehended  the  situation  fully, 
and  their  labors  were  pushed  accordingly.  One  day, 
while  at  work  with  the  men,  one  of  them  said  to 
James  : 

"Yer  are  school-boys,  I  understand." 

"  Yes,  we  are,"  answered  James. 

"Where'd  yer  larn  to  farm  it  .<*  " 

"  At  home,  and  all  about.  We've  had  to  earn  our 
living,"  was  the  reply  of  James. 


264  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


"  Yer  are  no  worse  for  that ;  it  won't  damage  your 
larnin'." 

"  I  expect  not ;  I  should  say  good-bye  to  the  scythe, 
if  I  thought  so,"  replied  James.  "  If  there  had  been 
no  work,  there  would  have  been  no  education  for  me." 

"  What  yer  goin'  to  make  —  a  preacher } " 

"That  is  an  unsolved  problem,"  answered  James, 
in  a  playful  way.  "  I  have  undertaken  to  make  a  man 
of  myself,  first.  If  I  succeed,  I  may  make  something 
else  afterwards ;  if  I  don't  succeed,  I  shall  not  be  fit 
for  much,  any  way." 

"■  Yer  in  a  fair  way  to  succeed,  I  guess,"  responded 
the  laborer,  who  seemed  to  have  the  idea,  in  common 
with  other  people,  that  James  was  aiming  to  be  a 
minister. 

When  the  day  of  settlement  with  the  boys  came,  the 
farmer  said  : 

**  Now,  boys,  what  must  I  pay  you  }  " 

**  What  you  think  is  right,"  replied  James,  at  the 
same  time  thinking  that  the  farmer's  emphasis  of  the 
word  boys  indicated  boys'  pay. 

"  I  s'pose  you  don't  expect  men's  wages ;  you  are 
only  boys." 

"  If  boys  do  men's  work,  what  the  difference  V 

"  Well,  you  see,  boys  never  have  so  much  as  men  : 
there's  a  price  for  boys,  and  there's  a  price  for  men. 
Some  boys  will  do  more  work  than  others,  but  the  best 
of  them  only  have  boys'  pay." 

"  But  you  told  the  men  that  we  mowed  wider  swaths, 
and  mowed  better  than  they,  and  beat  them.  Now, 
admit  that  we  arc  boys,  if  we  have  done  men's  work, 
why  should  wc  not  have  their  pay  t     I  told  you  at  first 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  265 

to  pay  us  what  was  right,  and  I  say  so  now ;  and  if  we 
have  worked  as  well  as  your  men,  or  better,  is  it  not 
rigJit  that  we  should  have  their  pay  ?  " 

Jamos'  plea  was  a  strong  one,  and  the  farmer  felt  its 
force.  There  was  but  one  honorable  course  out  of  the 
difficulty,  and  that  was  to  pay  the  boys  just  what  he 
did  the  men. 

''Well,  boys,  I  can't  in  justice  deny  that  you  did  as 
much  work  as  the  men,"  he  said,  "and  so  I'll  pay  you 
men's  wages  ;  but  you  are  the  first  boys  I  ever  paid 
such  wages  to." 

"  I  hope  we  are  not  the  last  ones,"  added  James, 
who  was  never  in  a  strait  for  a  reply. 

The  farmer  paid  them  full  wages,  and  parted 
with  them  in  good  feeling,  wishing  them  success 
in  their  struggles  for  an  education,  and  saying  to 
James  : 

"  If,  one  of  these  days,  you  preach  as  well  as  you 
mow,  I  shall  want  to  hear  you." 

When  they  left  the  farmer,  James  remarked  to  his 
companion  : 

"Everybody  seems  to  think  that  I  am  going  to  be  a 
preacher  ;  why  is  it  V  He  was  so  unconscious  of  his 
abilities  for  that  profession  that  he  was  actually  puzzled 
to  know  why  it  was. 

"  I  suppose  it  is  because  they  think  you  are  better 
qualified  for  that  than  any  other  calling,"  his  com- 
panion replied.  "  I  never  heard  you  say  what  profes- 
sion you  should  choose." 

"  No,  I  don't  think  you  have ;  nor  any  one  else. 
When  the  time  comes,  I  shall  choose  for  the  best.  I 
should  like  to  be  a  preacher,  and  I  should  like  to  be  a 


266  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

teacher.  I  don't  know  but  I  should  like  to  be  a  lawyer. 
I  shouldn't  want  to  be  a  doctor." 

James  stated  the  matter  here  just  about  as  it  was  at 
that  time.  He  was  going  to  make  the  most  of  himself 
possible,  in  the  first  place,  —  a  very  sensible  idea  for  a 
youth,  —  and  then  devote  himself  to  the  manifest  line 
of  duty. 

At  this  time  the  anti-slavery  contest  ran  high 
throughout  the  country.  In  Ohio,  its  friends  were  as 
zealous  and  fearless  as  they  were  anywhere  in  the 
country.  The  question  of  the  abolition  of  slavery  was 
discussed,  not  only  in  pulpits  and  on  public  rostrums, 
but  in  village  and  school  lyceums.  It  was  discussed 
in  the  Debating  Society  of  the  Seminary.  *'  Ought 
Slavery  to  be  abolished  in  this  Republic  t " 
This  was  a  question  that  drew  out  James  in  one  of  his 
best  efforts.  From  the  time  his  attention  was  drawn 
to  the  subject,  he  was  a  thorough  hater  of  slavery.  It 
was  such  a  monstrous  wrong  that  he  had  no  patience 
with  it. 

"A  disgrace  to  the  nation,"  he  said.  "People 
fighting  to  be  free,  and  then  reducing  others  to  a  worse 
slavery  than  that  which  they  fought !  It  is  a  burning 
shame  !  " 

**  The  founders  of  the  government  didn't  think  so," 
answered  the  schoolmate  addressed.  "  If  they  had 
thought  so,  they  would  have  made  no  provision 
for  it." 

"So  much  more  the  shame,"  replied  James.  "The 
very  men  who  fought  to  break  the  British  yoke  of 
bondage  legalized  a  worse  bondage  to  others  !  That  is 
what  makes  my  blood  boil.     I  can't  understand  how 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  267 

men  of  intelligence  and  honor  could  do  what  is  so 
inconsistent  and  inhuman." 

"  Slavery  wouldn't  stand  much  of  a  show  where 
you  are,  I  judge,"  added  his  schoolmate.  "You 
would  sweep  it  away  without  discussing  the  ques- 
tion whether  immediate  emancipation  is  safe  or 
not." 

"  Safe !  "  exclaimed  James,  in  a  tone  of  supreme 
contempt;  *'it  is  always  safe  to  do  right,  and  it  is 
never  safe  to  do  wrong ;  especially  to  perpetrate  such 
a  monstrous  wrong  as  to  buy  and  sell  men." 

It  was  this  inborn  and  inbred  hostility  to  human 
bondage  that  James  carried  into  the  discussion  of  the 
question  named,  in  their  school  lyceum.  He  prepared 
himself  for  the  debate  with  more  than  usual  carefulness. 
He  read  whatever  he  could  find  upon  the  subject,  and 
he  taxed  his  active  brain  to  the  utmost  in  forging 
arguments  against  the  crime. 

Companions  and  friends  had  been  surprised  and 
interested  before,  by  his  ability  in  debate ;  but  on  this 
occasion  he  discussed  his  favorite  theme  with  larger 
freedom  and  more  eloquence  than  ever.  There  was  a 
manly  and  exhaustive  treatment  of  the  question,  such 
as  he  had  not  evinced  before.  It  enlisted  his  sympathies 
and  honest  convictions  as  no  previous  question  had 
done  ;  so  that  his  fervor  and  energy  were  greater  than 
ever,  holding  the  audience  in  wrapped  and  delighted 
attention. 

Commenting  upon  this  effort  afterwards,  one  of 
his  schoolmates  said  to  a  number  of  his  companions 
present  : 

"We'll  send  Jim  to  Congress,  one  of  these  days." 


268  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

James  was  present,  and  the  remark  was  intended  both 
for  sport  and  praise. 

"  I  don't  want  you  to  send  me  until  I  have  graduated 
at  Geauga  Academy,"  retorted  James,  disposed  to  treat 
the  matter  playfully." 

"  We'll  let  you  do  that ;  but  we  can  begin  the  cam- 
paign now,  and  set  the  wires  for  pulling  by  and  by," 
replied  the  first  speaker.  "  I'll  stump  the  District  for 
you,  Jim,  and  charge  only  my  expenses." 

"And  whom  will  you  charge  your  expenses  to?" 
inquired  James. 

"  To  the  candidate,  of  course,  Hon.  James  A.  Gar- 
field," the  schoolmate  answered,  with  a  laugh,  in  which 
the  whole  company  joined,  not  excepting  James.  The 
incident  illustrates  the  place  that  James  held  in  the 
opinions  of  his  school-fellows.  Not  the  immature 
opinions  of  partial  friends,  but  the  well-considered  and 
honest  estimate  of  faculty  and  pupils. 

In  the  fall  term  of  that  year  there  came  to  the  school 
a  young  lady  by  the  name  of  Lucretia  Rudolph,  a 
modest,  unpretentious,  talented  girl.  James  soon  dis- 
covered that  she  was  a  young  lady  of  unusual  worth 
and  intellectual  ability.  He  was  not  much  inclined  to 
the  company  of  school-girls  ;  he  was  too  bashful  to 
make  much  of  a  display  in  that  line.  He  was  not  very 
companionable  in  their  society,  for  he  was  not  at  home 
there.  But  he  was  unconsciously  drawn  to  this  new 
and  pretty  pupil.  Miss  Lucretia  Rudolph.  First,  her 
modest,  lady-like  demeanor  attracted  his  attention. 
There  was  a  grace  in  her  movements,  and  evidence  of 
intellectual  strength  in  her  conversation.  Her  recita- 
tions were  perfect,  showing  industry  and  scholarship. 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  269 

These  things  impressed  James  sensibly.  No  female 
student  had  attracted  his  attention  at  all,  before.  Nor 
was  there  any  such  thing  as  falling  in  love  with  her 
on  his  part.  He  regarded  her  with  more  favor  than 
he  had  ever  regarded  a  young  lady  in  school ;  and  it 
was  her  worth  and  scholarship  that  drew  him.  They 
were  mtimate,  mutually  polite,  helpers  of  each  other 
in  study,  real  friends  in  all  the  relations  of  school-mates. 
Further  than  that,  neither  of  them  had  thoughts  about 
each  other.  They  associated  together,  and  parted  at 
the  close  of  the  term  with  no  expectation,  perhaps,  of 
renewing  their  acquaintance  again.  We  speak  of  the 
matter  here,  because  the  two  will  meet  again  else- 
where. 

James  made  rapid  progress  in  Latin  after  he  de- 
cided to  go  to  college.  It  was  the  study  that  occupied 
his  odd  moments  especially.  Every  spare  hour  that 
he  could  snatch  was  devoted  to  this.  The  following 
winter  he  taught  school,  and  Latin  received  much  of  his 
attention  in  evening  hours.  He  enjoyed  the  study  of  it, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  was  stimulated  by  the  consider- 
ation that  it  was  required  in  a  college  course  of  study. 

Late  in  the  autumn,  James  met  with  a  young  man 
who  was  connected  with  the  Eclectic  Institute,  a  new 
institution  just  established  in  Hiram,  Portage  County, 
Ohio.  James  knew  that  such  an  institution  had  been 
opened,  and  that  was  all ;  of  its  scope  and  character  he 
was  ignorant. 

"You  can  fit  for  college  there,"  he  said  to  James; 
"there  is  no  better  place  in  the  country  for  that  busi- 
ness. The  school  opened  with  over  one  hundred 
scholars,  and  the  number  is  rapidly  increasing." 


270  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Any  fitting  for  college  there,  now  ? "  James  inquired. 

"  Yes,  several ;  I  am  one  of  them." 

"  How  far  along  are  you  ?  " 

"Only  just  begun.  I  have  to  work  my  own  way,  so 
that  it  will  be  slow." 

*'  That  is  the  case  with  me.  So  far,  I  have  had  but 
eleven  dollars  from  my  friends,  and  I  have  more  than 
returned  that  amount  to  them." 

"A  fellow  can  do  it,  if  he  only  has  grit  enough." 

**  How  expensive  is  the  school }  "  continued  James. 

"  Not  more  expensive  than  Geauga  Seminary.  It  is 
designed  to  give  a  chance  to  the  poorest  boy  or  girl  to 
get  an  academical  education.  Besides,  it  is  conducted 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Disciples,  and  the  teachers 
belong  to  that  sect." 

'*  I  belong  to  the  Disciples'  church,"  said  James. 

"  So  do  I.  That  would  not  take  me  there,  however, 
if  it  was  not  a  good  school.  I  think  it  is  one  of  the 
best  schools  to  be  found." 

"  The  teachers  are  well  qualified,  are  they.-*" 

"They  are  the  very  best  of  teachers;  no  better  in 
any  school  " 

*'  I  am  glad  that  you  have  called  my  attention  to  the 
school,"  added  James  ;  "I  think  I  shall  go  there  next 
year." 

Here  was  the  second  casual  meeting  with  a  person, 
in  a  single  term,  that  had  much  to  do  with  the  future 
career  of  James.  His  mother  would  have  called  it 
providential :  so  did  James,  afterwards.  Meeting  with 
one  of  them  led  to  his  decision  to  go  to  college ; 
meeting  with  the  other  carried  him  to  the  Hiram 
Eclectic  Institute. 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  27 1 

James  closed  his  connection  with  the  Geauga  Semi- 
nary at  the  expiration  of  the  fall  term,  leaving  it  with 
a  reputation  for  scholarship  and  character  of  which  the 
institution  was  justly  proud.  As  we  have  said,  he 
taught  school  during  the  following  winter.  It  was  at 
Warrensville,  where  he  had  taught  before.  He  re- 
ceived eighteen  dollars  a  month,  and  board,  with  the 
esteem  and  gratitude  of  his  patrons. 

We  should  not  pass  over  the  oration  that  James 
delivered  at  the  annual  exhibition  of  Geauga  Seminary, 
in  November,  1850.  It  was  his  last  task  performed 
at  the  institution,  and  the  first  oration  of  his  literary 
life.  The  part  assigned  to  him  was  honorary ;  and  he 
spent  all  the  time  he  could  spare,  amid  other  pressing 
duties,  upon  the  production.  He  was  to  quit  the 
institution,  and  he  would  not  conceal  his  desire  to 
close  his  course  of  study  there  with  his  best  effort. 
He  kept  a  diary  at  the  time,  and  his  diary  discloses 
the  anxiety  with  which  he  undertook  the  preparation 
of  that  oration,  and  the  thorough  application  with 
which  he  accomplished  his  purpose.  Neither  ambition 
nor  vanity  can  be  discovered,  in  the  least  degree,  in 
his  diary,  that  was  written  for  no  eyes  but  his  own. 
His  performance  proved  the  attraction  of  the  hour. 
It  carried  the  audience  like  a  surprise,  although  they 
expected  a  noble  effort  from  the  ablest  student  in  the 
academy.  It  exceeded  their  expectations,  and  was 
a  fitting  close  of  his  honorable  connection  with  the 
school. 

Returning  home,  he  found  his  mother  making  prep- 
arations to  visit  relatives  in  Muskingum  County, 
eighteen  miles  from  Zanesville. 


LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 


"/  " 


"You  must  go,  James ;  I  have  made  all  my  arrange- 
ments for  you  to  go  with  me,"  said  his  mother. 

**  How  long  will  you  be  gone  ?  " 

"All  the  spring,  and  into  the  summer,  perhaps." 

"  I  had  concluded  to  go  to  the  Eclectic  Institute,  at 
Hiram,  when  the  spring  term  opens." 

•'  You  have  .-*     Why  do  you  go  there  .•* " 

"To  prepare  for  college." 

"  Do  you  expect  you  can  work  your  way  through 
college } " 

"I  expect  I  can,  or  I  should  not  undertake  it." 
And  James  then  rehearsed  the  circumstances  under 
which  he  decided  to  go  to  college,  if  possible,  and  to 
take  a  preparatory  course  at  Hiram. 

"  I  shall  be  glad,  James,  to  have  you  accomplish 
your  purpose,"  remarked  his  mother,  after  listening 
to  his  rehearsal,  in  which  she  was  deeply  interested. 
"  I  think,  however,  that  you  had  better  go  with  me, 
and  enter  the  Eclectic  Institute  at  the  opening  of  the 
fall  term." 

"  It  will  be  wasting  a  good  deal  of  time,  it  seems  to 
me,"  said  James. 

"  I  don't  mean  that  you  shall  go  there  to  idle  away 
your  time.  Take  your  books  along  with  you.  You 
can  find  work  there,  too,  I  have  no  doubt.  Perhaps 
you  can  find  a  school  there  to  teach." 

"  Well,  if  I  can  be  earning  something  to  help  me 
along,  perhaps  I  had  better  go.  It  will  give  me  an 
opportunity  to  see  more  of  the  world  —  " 

"  And  some  of  your  relations,  also,"  interrupted  his 
mother. 

It  was  settled  that   James  should  accompany  his 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  273 

mother  on  her  visit ;  and  they  started  as  soon  as  they 
could  get  ready.  The  journey  took  them  to  Cleveland 
first,  where  James  was  sensibly  reminded  of  his 
encounter  with  the  drunken  captain,  and  his  providen- 
tial connection  with  the  canal  boat.  The  Cleveland 
and  Columbus  railroad  had  just  been  opened,  and 
James  and  his  mother  took  their  first  ride  in  the  cars 
on  that  day.  James  had  not  seen  a  railroad  before, 
and  it  was  one  of  the  new  things  under  the  sun,  that 
proved  a  real  stimulus  to  his  thoughts.  He  beheld  in 
it  a  signal  triumph  of  skill  and  enterprise. 

The  state  capitol  had  been  erected  at  Columbus, 
and  the  legislature  was  in  session.  It  was  a  grand 
spectacle  to  James.  He  had  scarcely  formed  an  idea 
of  the  building,  so  that  the  view  of  it  surprised  him. 
He  visited  the  legislature  in  session,  and  received  his 
first  impressions  of  the  law-making  power.  It  was  a 
great  treat  to  him,  and  the  impressions  of  that  day 
were  never  obliterated. 

From  Columbus  they  proceeded  by  stage  to  Zanes- 
ville.     On  their  way,  James  remarked,  — 

"  I  never  should  have  made  an  objection  to  this  trip, 
if  I  had  expected  to  see  the  capitol,  or  the  legisla- 
ture in  session.  That  alone  is  equal  to  a  month's 
schooling  to  me.  It  has  given  me  an  idea  about 
public  affairs,  that  I  never  had  before." 

"  It  is  fortunate  that  you  came,"  replied  ]\Irs.  Gar- 
field. "  It  does  boys  who  tJiink  much  good  to  sec 
things  which  set  them  to  tJiiuking.'' 

"■  I  guess  that  is  so,"  replied  James,  with  a  roguish 
smile,  as  if  he  thought  his  mother  had  exerted  herself 
to  compliment  him.  "  TJiinkiug  is  needed  in  this 
world  about  as  much  as  anything." 


274  LOG-CAB IX   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

'^  Right  thinking,"  suggested  his  mother. 

"  Mr.  Branch  says  a  young  man  better  think  errone- 
ously than  not  to  think  at  all,"  responded  James. 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  agree  with  Mr.  Branch.  It 
is  safer  not  to  think  than  to  think  wrong,"  said  Mrs. 
Garfield. 

"  I  suppose  that  Mr.  Branch  meant  to  rebuke  dull 
scholars,  who  never  think  for  themselves,  and  take 
every  assertion  of  the  books  as  correct,  without  ask- 
ing ivJiy,''  added  James. 

James  and  his  mother  thus  discussed  the  scenes 
and  the  times  on  their  way  to  Zanesville,  enjoying  the 
change  and  the  scenery  very  much.  From  the  latter 
place  they  floated  down  the  Muskingum  river,  in  a 
skiff,  to  their  destination,  eighteen  miles  distant.  Here 
they  found  their  relatives  the  more  rejoiced  to  see 
them  because  their  visit  was  unexpected. 

As  soon  as  they  were  fairly  settled  among  their  re- 
lations, within  four  or  five  days  after  their  arrival, 
James  began  to  cast  about  for  something  to  do. 

"  Perhaps  you  can  get  a  school  to  keep  over  in  Har- 
rison, four  miles  from  here,"  said  his  aunt.  "  I  heard 
they  were  looking  after  a  teacher." 

"  Whom  shall  I  go  to  there  to  find  out  t "  inquired 
James. 

**  I  can't  tell  you,  but  your  uncle  can,  when  he  gets 
home." 

James  learned  to  whom  application  should  be  made, 
and  posted  away  immediately,  and  secured  the  school, 
at  twelve  dollars  a  month,  for  three  months. 

"  You  are  fortunate,"  said  his  mother,  on  hearing 
his  report.     "  You  will  be  contented  to  stay  now  until 


THIRD    YEAR  AT  SCHOOL.  275 

I  get  ready  to  go  home.  What  kind  of  a  school-house 
have  they  ?  " 

*' A  log-house  ;  not  much  of  an  affair." 

"  How  large  is  the  school  t  " 

"  About  thirty  ;  enough  to  crowd  the  building  full." 

**  When  do  you  begin  ?  " 

"Next  Monday." 

"  Board  round,  I  suppose  }  " 

"  Yes  ;  and  some  of  the  families  are  between  two 
and  three  miles  away." 

James  commenced  his  school  under  favorable  aus- 
pices, so  far  as  his  relations  to  the  pupils  were  con- 
cerned. The  conveniences  for  a  school  were  meagre, 
and  the  parents  were  indifferent  to  the  real  wants  of 
their  children.  Most  of  them  failed  to  appreciate 
schooling.  It  was  quite  cold  weather  when  the  school 
opened,  and  there  was  no  fuel  provided.  Near  by  the 
school-house,  however,  there  was  coal,  in  a  bank,  and 
James  proposed  to  his  pupils  to  dig  fuel  therefrom  ; 
and,  in  this  way,  their  fire  was  run  until  it  became  so 
warm  that  fire  was  not  needed. 

The  pupils  were  not  so  far  advanced  as  the  pupils 
at  Warrensville,  but  not  so  rough  as  those  at  the 
Ledge.  The  neighborhood  was  not  so  far  advanced 
in  the  arts  of  civilization  as  the  region  with  which 
James  had  been  familiar.  Yet,  he  enjoyed  school- 
keeping  there  ;  and  his  connection  with  the  families 
was  pleasant.  At  the  close  of  the  term  he  received 
many  expressions  of  affection  and  confidence  from 
the  pupils,  and  separated  from  them  with  the  best  of 
feeling. 

Mrs.  Garfield  was  ready  to  return  to  Orange  at  the 


276  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

close  of  the  school  :  nor  was  James  sorry  to  start  on 
the  journey  home.  After  an  absence  of  over  three 
months,  James  found  himself  at  the  homestead  with 
more  money  than  he  had  when  he  left. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE. 

lEVERAL  weeks  would  intervene  before 
the  commencement  of  the  term  at  Hiram  ; 
and  James  looked  about  for  work  that  he 
might  add  to  his  funds  for  an  education. 
He  was  planning  now  to  lay  up  money  to  assist  him- 
self through  college.  He  found  jobs  to  occupy  his 
time  fully  until  he  should  leave  to  enter  the  Eclectic 
Institute. 

It  was  the  last  of  August,  185 1,  when  James 
reached  Hiram.  The  board  of  trustees  was  in  ses- 
sion. Proceeding  directly  to  the  institution,  he  ac- 
costed the  janitor. 

"  I  want  to  see  the  principal  of  the  institute,"  he 
said. 

"  He  is  engaged  with  the  board  of  trustees,  who  are 
in  session  now,"  replied  the  janitor. 

"  Can  I  see  him,  or  them  ?  " 

"Probably;    I    will    see."      And  the   janitor  went 

directly  to  the  room  of  the  trustees,  and  announced, 

"  A  young  man  at  the  door,  who  is  desirous  to  see  the 

board  at  once." 

"  Let  him  come  in,"  answered  the  chairman. 

377 


278  LOG-CABIN   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

James  presented  himself  politely,  though,  perhaps, 
awkwardly. 

**  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  I  am  anxious  to  get  an 
education,  and  have  come  here  to  see  what  I  can 
do." 

"  Well,  this  is  a  good  place  to  obtain  an  education," 
answered  the  chairman,  without  waiting  for  James  to 
proceed  further.     "  Where  are  you  from  ?  " 

"  From  Orange.  My  name  is  James  Abram  Gar- 
field. I  have  no  father  ;  he  died  when  I  was  an  in- 
fant.    My  mother  is  widow  Eliza  Garfield." 

"  And  you  want  what  education  this  institution  can 
furnish  } " 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  provided  I  can  work  my  way." 

"  Then  you  are  poor }  " 

**  Yes,  sir ;  but  I  can  work  my  way.  I  thought, 
perhaps,  that  I  could  have  the  chance  to  ring  the  bell 
and  sweep  the  floors,  to  pay  part  of  my  bills." 

*'  How  much  have  you  been  to  school } " 

"  I  have  attended  Geauga  Seminary  three  years, 
teaching  school  in  the  winter." 

**  Ah  !  then  you  arc  quite  advanced  }  " 

"  No,  not  very  far  advanced.  I  have  commenced 
Latin  and  Greek." 

"Then  you  think  of  going  to  college  .-* " 

"That  is  what  I  am  trying  for." 

**  I  think  we  had  better  try  this  young  man,"  said 
one  of  the  trustees,  addressing  the  chairman.  He  was 
much  impressed  by  the  earnestness  and  intelligence 
of  the  applicant,  and  was  in  favor  of  rendering  him 
all  the  aid  possible. 

"Yes,"   answered  the  chairman;  "he   has    started 


THE   ECLECTIC  IXSTITUTE.  279 

out  upon  a  noble  work,  and  we  must  help  him  all  we 
can. 

"  How  do  you  know  that  you  can  do  the  sweeping 
and  bell-ringing  to  suit  us  ? "  inquired  another  trustee 
of  James. 

"  Try  me  —  try  me  two  weeks,  and  if  it  is  not  done 
to  your  entire  satisfaction  I  will  retire  without  a  word." 
James'  honest  reply  settled  the  matter. 

James  was  nineteen  years  old  at  this  time  ;  he  be- 
came twenty  in  the  following  November.  So  he  was 
duly  installed  bell-ringer  and  sweeper-general. 

Hiram  was  a  small,  out-of-the-w^ay  town,  twelve 
miles  from  the  railroad,  the  "  centre  "  being  at  a  cross- 
road, with  two  churches  and  half  a  dozen  other  build- 
ings. The  institution  was  located  there  to  accommo- 
date the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Western-Reserve 
farmers.  President  Hinsdale,  who  now  presides  over 
the  college  (it  was  elevated  to  a  college,  twelve  or  fif- 
teen years  ago),  says  :  ''  The  Institute  building,  a  plain 
but  substantially  built  brick  structure,  was  put  on  the 
top  of  a  windy  hill,  in  the  middle  of  a  corn-field.  One 
of  the  cannon  that  General  Scott's  soldiers  dragged  to 
the  city  of  Mexico  in  1847,  planted  on  the  roof  of  the 
new  structure,  would  not  have  commanded  a  score  of 
farm-houses.  Here  the  school  opened,  at  the  time 
Garfield  was  closing  his  studies  at  Chester.  It  had 
been  in  operation  two  terms  when  he  offered  himself 
for  enrolment.  Hiram  furnished  a  location,  the  board 
of  trustees  a  building  and  the  first  teachers,  the  sur- 
rounding country  students,  but  the  spiritual  Hiram 
made  itself.  Everything  was  new.  Society,  tradi- 
tions, the  genius  of  the  school,  had  to  be  evolved  from 


28o  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  forces  of  the  teachers  and  pupils,  limited  by  the 
general  and  local  environment.  Let  no  one  be  sur- 
prised when  I  say  that  such  a  school  as  this  was  the 
best  of  all  places  for  young  Garfield.  There  was 
freedom,  opportunity,  a  large  society  of  rapidly  and 
eagerly  opening  young  minds,  instructors  who  were 
learned  enough  to  instruct  him,  and  abundant  scope 
for  ability  and  force  of  character,  of  which  he  had  a 
superabundance. 

"  Few  of  the  students  who  came  to  Hiram  in  that 
day  had  more  than  a  district  school  education,  though 
some  had  attended  the  high  schools  and  academies 
scattered  over  the  country ;  so  that  Garfield,  although 
he  had  made  but  slight  progress  in  the  classics  and 
the  higher  mathematics  previous  to  his  arrival,  ranked 
well  up  with  the  first  scholars.  In  ability,  all  ac- 
knowledged that  he  was  the  peer  of  any  ;  soon  his 
superiority  to  all  others  was  generally  conceded." 

James  sought  an  early  opportunity  to  confer  with 
the  principal. 

"  I  want  your  advice  as  to  my  course  of  study/'  he 
said.  "  My  purpose  is  to  enter  college,  and  I  want  to 
pursue  the  best  way  there." 

"  You  want  to  make  thorough  work  of  it,  as  you 
go  along  } "  the  principal  answered,  by  way  of  inquiry. 

"  Yes,  sir,  as  thorough  as  possible.  What  I  know,  I 
want  to  know  certainly y 

"That  is  a  good  idea ;  better  take  time,  and  master 
everything  as  you  go  along.  Many  students  fail 
because  they  are  satisfied  with  a  smattering  of  knowl- 
edge.    Be  a  scholar,  or  don't  undertake  it." 

"  I  agree  with  you  perfectly,  and    I    am    ready  to 


THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE.  28 1 

accept  your  advice ;  and  will  regulate  my  course 
accordingly." 

"  Our  regular  preparatory  course  of  study  cannot  be 
improved,  I  think,"  continued  the  principal.  ''  You 
can  pursue  higher  studies  here,  and  enter  college  in 
advance,  if  you  choose.  But  that  can  be  determined 
hereafter.  At  present,  you  can  go  on  with  the 
branches  undertaken,  and  time  will  indicate  improve- 
ment and  changes  necessary." 

"  It  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  labor  some  out  of 
school  hours,  in  order  to  pay  all  my  bills,"  added 
James.  **Then  I  would  like  to  be  earning  something 
more,  to  help  me  through  college." 

''  What  do  you  propose  to  do  }  " 

"  I  can  work  on  a  farm,  or  in  a  carpenter's  shop,  or 
do  odd  jobs  at  almost  anything  that  offers.  I  have 
already  seen  the  carpenter  here." 

"  Well,  what  prospect  for  work  .''  " 

"  After  a  few  days  he  will  have  work  for  me,  mostly 
planing ;  and  that  I  have  done  more  than  anything  in 
the  carpenter's  line." 

"You  are  fortunate  to  find  work  at  once." 

"  I  never  have  failed  to  find  work,  since  I  have  been 
dependent  upon  my  own  exertions." 

"I  hope  you  always  will  find  work,  that  you  may 
realize  the  accomplishment  of  your  object.  I  shall  do 
everything  in  my  power  to  assist  you,  and  do  it  with 
all  my  heart." 

"Thank  you,"  responded  James,  grateful  for  the 
deep  interest  the  principal  appeared  to  manifest  in  his 
welfare. 

He   secured   quarters    in  a  room  with    four   other 


282  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Students,  rather  thick  for  the  highest  comfort,  but 
"necessity  multiplies  bedfellows."  Here  he  set  about 
his  literary  work  with  a  zeal  and  devotion  that 
attracted  attention.  The  office  of  bell-ringer  obliged 
him  to  rise  very  early ;  for  the  first  bell  was  rung  at 
five  o'clock.  The  office  of  sweeper  compelled  him  to 
be  on  the  alert  at  an  early  hour,  also.  Promptness 
was  the  leading  requirement  of  the  youth  who  rang  the 
bell.  It  must  be  rung  on  the  mark.  A  single  minute 
too  early,  or  too  late,  spoiled  the  promptness.  On  the 
ma7'k  precisely,  was  the  rule.  Nor  was  it  any  cross  to 
James.  Promptness,  as  we  have  seen,  was  one  of  his 
born  qualities.  It  was  all  the  same  to  him  whether 
he  arose  at  four  or  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  or 
whether  he  must  ring  the  bell  three,  or  a  dozen  times  a 
day.  He  adapted  himself  to  circumstances  with  perfect 
ease.  Instead  of  bending  to  circumstances,  circum- 
stances bent  to  him.  He  made  a  good  bell-ringer  and 
sweeper,  simply  because  it  was  a  rule  with  him  to  do 
everything  well.     One  of  his  room-mates  said  to  him  : 

"Jim,  I  don't  see  but  you  sweep  just  as  well  as  you 
recite." 

"  Why  shouldn't  1 1 "  James  responded,  promptly. 

"  Many  people  do  important  things  best,"  replied 
his  schoolmate,  "  and  a  lesson  is  more  important  than 
sweeping." 

"  You  are  heretical,"  exclaimed  James.  "  If  your 
views  upon  other  matters  are  not  sounder  than  that, 
you  will  not  make  a  very  safe  leader.  Sweeping,  in 
its  place,  is  just  as  important  as  a  lesson  in  Greek  is, 
in  its  place,  and,  therefore,  according  to  your  own  rule, 
should  be  done  as  well." 


THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE.  283 

"  You  are  right,  Jim  ;  I  yield  my  heresy,  like  the 
honest  boy  that  I  am," 

*'  I  think  that  the  boy  who  would  not  sweep  well, 
would  not  study  well,"  continued  James.  "There 
may  be  exceptions  to  the  rule  ;  but  the  rule  is  a  correct 
one. 

"  I  guess  you  are  about  right,  Jim ;  but  my  opinion 
is  that  few  persons  carry  out  the  rule.  There  are  cer- 
tain things  about  which  most  people  are  superficial, 
however  thorough  they  may  be  in  others." 

''That  may  be  true  ;  I  shall  not  dispute  you  there," 
rejoined  James  ;  ''and  that  is  one  reason  why  so  many 
persons  fail,  of  success.  They  have  no  settled  purpose 
to  be  thorough.  Not  long  ago  I  read,  in  the  life  of 
Franklin,  that  he  claimed,  'thoroughness  must  be  a 
principle  of  action.'  " 

"  And  that  is  why  you  sweep  as  well  as  you  study  V 
interrupted  the  room-mate,  in  a  complimentary  tone. 

"  Yes,  of  course.  And  there  is  no  reason  why  a 
person  should  not  be  as  thorough  in  one  thing  as  in 
another.  I  don't  think  it  is  any  harder  to  do  work 
well  than  it  is  to  half  do  it.  I  know  that  it  is  much 
harder  to  recite  a  lesson  poorly  than  to  recite  it 
perfectly." 

"  I  found  that  out  some  time  ago,  to  my  mortifica- 
tion," rejoined  the  room-mate,  in  a  playful  manner. 
"There  is  some  fun  in  a  perfect  lesson,  I  confess,  and 
a  great  amount  of  misery  in  a  poor  one." 

"  It  is  precisely  so  with  sweeping,"  added  James. 
"  The  sight  of  a  half-swept  floor  would  be  an  eye-sore 
to  me,  all  the  time.  It  would  be  all  of  a  piece  with  a 
poor  lesson." 


284  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  I  could  go  the  half-swept  floor  best,"  remarked  the 
room-mate. 

"  I  can  go  neither  best,"  retorted  James,  "  since 
there  is  no  need  of  it." 

James  had  told  the  trustees  to  try  him  at  bell-ringing 
and  sweeping  two  weeks.  They  did  ;  and  the  trial  was 
perfectly  satisfactory.  He  was  permanently  installed 
in  the  position. 

A  person,  now  an  esteemed  clergyman,  who  acted 
in  the  same  capacity  six  or  eight  years  after  James  did, 
writes,  **  When  I  did  janitor  work,  I  had  to  ring  a  bell 
at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  another  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  I  think  this  had  been  an 
immemorial  custom  during  school  sessions.  The  work 
was  quite  laborious,  and  much  depended  upon  the 
promptness  and  efficiency  of  the  person  who  handled 
the  bell-rope,  as  the  morning  had  to  be  divided  into 
equal  portions,  after  a  large  slice  had  been  taken  out 
of  it  for  the  chapel  exercises,  which  were  always  pro- 
tracted to  uncertain  lengths.  It  was  annoying,  tedious 
work." 

A  lady  now  living  in  the  State  of  Illinois  was  a 
member  of  the  school  when  James  was  inaugurated 
bell-ringer,  and  she  writes:  ''When  he  first  entered 
the  institute,  he  paid  for  his  schooling  by  doing  jani- 
tor's work,  —  sweeping  the  floor  and  ringing  the  bell. 
I  can  see  him  even  now  standing,  in  the  morning,  with 
his  hand  on  the  bell-rope,  ready  to  give  the  signal 
calling  teachers  and  scholars  to  engage  in  the  duties 
of  the  day.  As  we  passed  by,  entering  the  school- 
room, he  had  a  cheerful  word  for  every  one.  He  was 
the  most  popular  person    in    the  institute.     He  was 


THE   ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE.  285 

always  good  natured,  fond  of  conversation,  and  very- 
entertaining.  He  was  witty,  and  quick  at  repartee; 
but  his  jokes,  though  brilliant  and  striking,  were  always 
harmless,  and  he  never  would  willingly  hurt  another's 
feelings." 

The  young  reader  should  ponder  the  words,  "■  most 
popular  person  in  the  institute,"  —  and  yet  bell-ringer 
and  sweeper!  Doing  the  most  menial  work  there  was 
to  do  with  the  same  cheerfulness  and  thoroughness 
that  he  would  solve  a  problem  in  algebra !  There  is 
an  important  lesson  in  this  fact  for  the  young.  They 
can  afford  to  study  it.  The  youth  who  becomes  the 
most  "  popular "  student  in  the  institution,  notwith- 
standing he  rings  the  bell  and  sweeps  the  floors,  must 
possess  unusual  qualities.  Doubtless  he  made  the 
office  of  bell-ringer  and  sweeper  very  respectable.  We 
dare  say  that  some  of  the  students  were  willing  to 
serve  in  that  capacity  thereafter  who  were  not  willing 
to  serve  before.  Any  necessary  and  useful  employ- 
ment is  respectable ;  but  many  youths  have  not  found 
it  out.  The  students  discovered  the  fact  in  the  Eclectic 
Institute.  They  learned  it  of  James.  He  dignified 
the  humble  offices  that  he  filled.  He  did  it  by  putting 
character  into  his  work. 

There  were  nearly  two  thousand  volumes  in  the 
library  belonging  to  the  school.  From  this  treasury  of 
knowledge  James  drew  largely.  Every  spare  moment 
of  his  time  was  occupied  with  books  therefrom.  He 
began  to  be  an  enthusiastic  reader  of  poetry  at  Geauga 
Seminary.  "Young's  Night  Thoughts,"  which  he 
found  there,  was  the  volume  that  particularly  impressed 
his  mind,  just  before  he  became  a  Christian  under  the 


286  LOG-CABIIV  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

preaching  of  the  Disciples  minister  at  Orange.  His 
tenacious  memory  retained  much  that  he  read,  both  of 
poetry  and  prose.  Here  he  had  a  wider  field  to  explore, 
more  books  to  occupy  his  attention,  though  not  more 
time  to  read.  He  began  to  read  topically  and  system- 
atically. 

"  What  are  you  doing  with  that  book } "  inquired  a 
room-mate;  "transcribing  it.?" 

"Not  exactly,  though  I  am  making  it  mine  as  much 
as  possible,"  James  replied.  •  "Taking  notes." 

"  I  should  think  that  would  be  slow  work.'* 

"Not  at  all,  the  way  I  do." 

"What  way  are  you  doing.?" 

"  I  note  the  important  topics  on  which  the  book 
treats,  with  the  pages,  that  I  may  turn  to  any  topic  of 
which  it  treats,  should  I  have  occasion  hereafter.  I 
mean  to  do  the  same  with  every  book  I  read,  and  pre- 
serve the  notes  for  future  use." 

"  A  good  plan,  if  you  have  the  patience.  I  want  to 
dash  through  a  book  at  double-quick  ;  I  couldn't  stop 
for  such  business,"  added  the  room-mate. 

"  I  spend  no  more  time  over  a  book  than  you  do,  I 
think,"  answered  James.  "  I  catch  the  drift,  and 
appropriate  the  strong  points,  and  let  all  the  rest  slide. 
But  taking  notes  serves  to  impress  the  contents  upon 
my  memory.  Then,  hereafter,  when  I  speak  or  write 
upon  a  given  topic,  my  notes  will  direct  me  to  neces- 
sary material." 

"  Your  ammunition  will  be  ready  ;  all  you  will  have 
to  do  will  be  to  load  and  fire,"  suggested  his  room- 
mate. "  That  is  not  bad.  I  think  the  plan  is  a  good 
one. 


THE   ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE.  287 

*'  It  will  save  much  time,  in  the  long  run.  Instead 
of  being  obliged  to  hunt  for  information  on  topics,  I 
can  turn  to  it  at  once."  James  remarked  thus  with  an 
assurance  that  showed  his  purpose  was  well  matured. 
Years  afterwards  he  testified  that  the  method  proved 
one  of  the  most  helpful  and  important  rules  of  his  life. 
Many  scholars  have  pursued  a  similar  course,  and  their 
verdict  respecting  the  usefulness  of  the  plan  is  unani- 
mous. It  is  an  excellent  method  for  the  young  of  both 
sexes,  whether  they  are  contemplating  a  thorough 
education  or  not ;  for  it  will  promote  their  intelligence, 
and  increase  their  general  information.  This  result  is 
desirable  in  the  humblest  as  well  as  in  the  highest 
position.  An  intelligent,  well-informed  citizen  adorns 
his  place.  That  honored  and  lifted  into  respectability 
the  office  of  bell-ringer  and  sweeper  at  Hiram  Insti- 
tute, as  we  have  seen. 

When  James  had  completed  his  collegiate  course, 
and  became  Principal  of  Hiram  Institute,  he  wrote  to 
a  youth  whom  he  desired  should  undertake  a  liberal 
course  of  education  : 

"  Tell  me,  Burke,  do  you  not  feel  a  spirit  stirring 
within  you  that  longs  to  knozv^  to  do,  and  to  dajr,  to 
hold  converse  with  the  great  world  of  thought,  and 
holds  before  you  some  high  and  noble  object  to  which 
the  vigor  of  your  mind  and  the  strength  of  your  arm 
may  be  given  }  Do  you  not  have  longings  like  these, 
which  you  breathe  to  no  one,  and  which  you  feel  must 
be  heeded,  or  you  will  pass  through  life  unsatisfied  and 
regretful  .^  I  am  sure  you  have  them,  and  they  will 
forever  cling  round  your  heart  till  you  obey  their  man- 
date.    They  are  the  voice  of  that  nature  which  God 


288  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

has  given  you,  and  which,  when  obeyed,  will  bless  you 
and  your  fellow-men." 

Whether  Burke  felt  this  **  spirit  stirring  within  him  '* 
or  not,  it  is  certain  that  it  moved  James,  as  some  mys- 
terious power,  when  he  entered  this  new  field,  and  long 
before,  impelled  him  onward  and  upward  in  a  career 
that  could  not  have  been  denied  him  without  inflicting 
an  everlasting  wound  upon  his  soul. 

In  the  spring  after  James  became  connected  with 
the  school,  the  principal  proposed  that  the  pupils 
should  bring  trees  from  the  forest,  and  set  them  out  on 
the  Campus,  to  adorn  the  grounds,  and  provide  a  lovely 
shade  for  those  who  would  gather  there  twenty  and 
thirty  years  thereafter. 

"  A  capital  idea !  "  exclaimed  James  to  Baker,  with 
whom  he  was  conferring  upon  the  subject.  "  If  each 
male  student  will  put  out  one  tree  for  himself,  and  one 
for  a  female  student,  we  can  cover  the  Campus  with 
trees,  and  the  streets  near  by  as  well ;  and  do  it  next 
Saturday,  too." 

"That  is  real  gallantry,  Jim,"  answered  Baker. 
"The  girls,  of  course,  can't  set  out  trees." 

"  And  the  boys  will  take  pride  in  setting  them  out 
for  them,"  interrupted  James. 

"  And  calling  them  by  their  names,"  added  Baker. 

"A  bright  idea  is  that,  to  name  the  trees  after 
those  for  whom  they  are  set  out,"  responded  James. 
"  You  are  an  original  genius,  George ;  I  should  not 
have  thought  of  that.  It  must  be  because  you  think 
more  of  girls  than  I  do." 

"  But  the  plan  to  plant  a  tree  for  each  girl  is  yours, 
Jim.     I  can't  claim  the  patent  for  that." 


THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE.  289 

**  I  am  not  ashamed  to  own  it.  It  is  worthy  of  the 
boys  of  the  Western  Reserve.  We  can  have  a  rich 
time  in  carrying  out  the  plan,  better  than  a  ride  or 
party." 

"  I  think  so,"  said  Baker. 

"  The  satisfaction  of  knowing  we  are  doing  some- 
thing that  will  be  a  great  blessing  thirty  years  from 
now,  adding  beauty  and  comfort  to  the  Institute  and 
town,  is  stimulus  enough,"  continued  James. 

This  enterprise  was  nobly  prosecuted,  and  the  trees 
were  planted  and  named  as  above.  James  enjoyed  it 
hugely.  He  was  a  great  admirer  of  nature,  and  a  tree 
or  a  flower  afforded  him  genuine  pleasure.  To  plant 
trees  about  his  favorite  institution,  that  would  furnish 
shady  walks  in  future  days,  was  to  him  a  privilege  that 
he  would  not  willingly  miss. 

During  his  first  year's  connection  with  the  school, 
a  female  student  of  considerable  brightness  and 
scholarship  violated  some  rule  of  the  institution,  for 
which  the  principal  thought  she  should  be  publicly 
rebuked.  The  rebuke  would  be  administered  after  the 
chapel  exercises  on  the  following  morning.  The  affair 
caused  much  discussion  among  the  pupils.  Their 
sympathies  were  wholly  enlisted  for  the  girl,  as  she 
was  deservedly  quite  popular. 

"  It  is  almost  too  bad,"  remarked  James  to  a  lady 
student.     *'  It  will  well-nigh  kill  her  ;  I  pity  her." 

"  I  think  it  is  a  shame  to  make  a  small  affair  like 
that  so  public,"  replied  the  young  lady.  "  If  it  was 
one  of  the  boys  it  would  not  be  half  so  bad." 

"You  think  boys  are  used  to  it,  or  are  of  less  conse- 
quence than  girls  ?  "  retorted  James,  in  a  vein  of  humor. 


290  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Not  exactly  that,  I  think  the  worst  way  of  re- 
buking a  young  lady  should  not  be  selected." 

*'  I  agree  with  you  exactly ;  but  I  suppose  there  is 
no  help  for  it  now." 

"  Unless  we  get  up  a  petition  asking  that  the  re- 
buke be  privately  administered." 

"■  I  will  sign  it,"  said  James ;  "but  it  must  be  done 
immediately." 

"I  will  see  some  of  the  girls  at  once."  And,  so 
saying,  the  young  lady  hastened  away. 

In  many  groups  the  matter  was  discussed  on  that 
day,  and  much  excitement  prevailed ;  but  the  move- 
ment for  a  petition  failed,  and  the  following  morning 
dawned  with  the  assurance  that  the  rebuke  would  be 
administered  before  the  whole  school.  The  scholars 
assembled  with  hearts  full  of  pity  for  the  unfortunate 
girl.  No  one  felt  more  keenly  for  her  than  James. 
He  expected  to  see  her  overcome  and  crushed. 

The  principal  called  upon  her  to  rise,  and  the  re- 
buke was  administered,  while  all  the  scholars  dropped 
their  heads  in  pity  for  her.  She  survived  the  ordeal. 
She  neither  wept  nor  fainted.  On  retiring  from  the 
chapel,  with  the  crowd  of  scholars,  she  remarked  to 
James,  in  the  hearing  of  many,  — 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  Uncle  Sutherland  was  rather 
personal." 

The  jocose  remark  created  a  laugh  all  around,  and 
none  laughed  more  heartily  than  James,  who  con- 
cluded that  their  profound  sympathies  had  been  sadly 
wasted. 

James  had  not  been  at  Hiram  long  before  the  stu- 
dents discovered  one  prominent  trait  of  his  character, 


THE  ECLECTIC  INSTITUTE.  29 1 

viz.,  a  keen  sense  of  justice.  He  was  fond  of  ball- 
playing,  and  he  wanted  everybody  to  enjoy  it.  One 
day  he  took  up  the  bat  to  enjoy  a  game,  when  he 
observed  several  of  the  smaller  boys  looking  on  wist- 
fully, seeming  to  say  in  their  hearts,  "  We  wish  we 
could  play." 

*' Are  not  those  boys  in  the  game  .-*"  he  asked. 

"  What !  those  little  chaps  ">.  Of  course  not ;  they 
would  spoil  the  game." 

**  But  they  want  to  play  just  as  much  as  we  do.  Let 
them  come  in !" 

"  No ;  we  don't  want  the  game  spoiled.  They 
can't  play." 

*'  Neither  shall  I,  if  they  cannot,"  added  James, 
decidedly.     And  he  threw  down  his  bat. 

"Well,  let  them  come,  then,"  shouted  one  of  the 
players,  who  wanted  the  game  to  go  on.  "  Spoil  it, 
if  you  will." 

**We  shall  make  it  livelier,"  responded  James, 
taking  up  his  bat  and  calling  upon  the  little  boys 
to  fall  in.  "We  may  not  have  quite  so  scientific  a 
game,  but  then  all  hands  will  have  the  fun  of  it ;  and 
that  is  what  the  game  is  for." 


CHAPTER   XX. 
STUDENT  AND  TEACHER. 

AMES  ceased  to  be  a  janitor  at  the  close  of 
his  first  year  at  Hiram,  and  was  promoted 
to  assistant  teacher  of  the  EngHsh  depart- 
ment and  ancient  languages.  His  rapid 
advancement  is  set  forth  by  Dr.  Hinsdale,  who  is  now 
president  of  the  institution  : 

"  His  mind  was  now  reaching  out  in  all  directions ; 
and  all  the  more  widely  because  the  elastic  course  of 
study,  and  the  absence  of  traditionary  trammels,  gave 
him  room.  He  was  a  vast  elemental  force,  and  noth- 
ing was  so  essential  as  space  and  opportunity.  Hiram 
was  now  forming  her  future  teachers,  as  well  as 
creating  her  own  culture.  Naturally,  then,  when  he 
had  been  only  one  year  in  the  school,  he  was  given 
a  place  in  the  corps  of  teachers.  In  the  catalogue  of 
1853-54,  his  name  appears  both  with  the  pupils  and 
teachers  :  'James  A.  Garfield,  Cuyahoga  County,'  and 
*J.  A.  Garfield,  Teacher  in  the  English  Department, 
and  of  the  Ancient  Languages.'  His  admission  to 
the  faculty  page  may  be  an  index  to  a  certain  rawness 
in  the  school  ;  but  it  gave  to  his  talents  and  ambition 
the  play  that  an  older  school,  with  higher  standards, 
could  not  have  afforded  him. 
393 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER.  293 


Now  he  was  filling  three  important  positions,  stu- 
dent, teacher  and  carpenter.  He  had  become  nearly 
as  indispensable  to  the  carpenter's  business  as  to  that 
of  the  Institute.  The  sound  of  his  hammer,  before 
and  after  school,  was  familiar  to  the  students  and 
the  citizens. 

''  See  there !"  exclaimed  Clark,  pointing  to  James 
on  the  roof  of  a  house,  building  near  the  academy. 
"Jim  has  taken  that  roof  to  shingle." 

"Alone?"  inquired  Jones. 

"  Yes,  alone  ;  and  it  won't  take  him  long,  either, 
if  he  keeps  his  hammer  going  as  it  does  now.  Jim's 
a  brick." 

"Very  little  brick  about  him,  I  should  say;  more 
brain  than  brick." 

'"  With  steam  enough  on  all  the  while  to  keep  his 
brain  running.     Did  you  ever  see  such  a  worker  V 

"  Never.  Work  seems  as  necessary  to  him  as  air 
and  food.  If  he  was  not  compelled  to  work,  in  order 
to  pay  his  way,  his  brain  would  shatter  his  body  all 
to  pieces  in  a  year.  He  is  about  the  only  student  I 
ever  thought  was  fortunate  in  being  poor  as  a  stray 
cat." 

"  I  declare,  I  never  thought  of  that.  Poverty  is 
a  blessing  sometimes.  I  had  thought  it  was  a  curse 
to  a  student  always." 

"  It  is  Jim's  salvation,"  added  Jones.  "  I  have 
thought  of  it  many  times.  I  suppose  that  his  car- 
pentering business  is  better  exercise  for  him  than 
our  ball-playing,  or  pitching  quoits." 

"  Minus  the  />/;/,"  added  Clark,  quickly ;  really 
believing  that  James  was  depriving  himself  of  all  first- 


294  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

class  sport.     ''Have  you  not  observed  how  he  enjoys 
a  game  of  ball  or  quoits  when  he  joins  us  ? " 

"Of  course;  but  he  does  not  seem  to  me  to  enjoy 
these  games  any  more  than  he  enjoys  study,  reading, 
and  manual  labor.  He  studies  just  as  he  plays  ball, 
exactly,  with  all  his  might ;  and  I  suppose  that  is  the 
Way  we  all  ought  to  do." 

*'  That  is  what  Father  Bentley  said  in  his  sermon 
on,  *  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy 
might.'     You  remember  it  V 

"  Certainly  ;  and  who  knows  but  Father  Bentley  has 
engaged  Jim  to  illustrate  his  doctrine  1  He  preaches 
and  Jim  practices.  Nobody  in  the  Eclectic  Institute 
will  dispute  such  a  sermon  while  Jim's  about ;  you  can 
count  on  that."  The  remark  was  made  jocosely,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  a  compliment  was  intended  for 
James. 

This  conversation  discloses  the  facts  about  James* 
manual  labor  while  connected  with  the  Institute.  We 
have  not  space  for  the  details  of  his  work  with  the 
plane  and  hammer  during  the  whole  period.  We  can 
only  say,  here,  once  for  all,  that  he  continued  to  add 
to  his  money  by  manual  labor  to  the  end  of  his  three 
years  at  Hiram.  He  planed  all  the  siding  of  the  new 
house  that  he  was  shingling  when  the  foregoing  con- 
versation took  place.  His  labor  was  expended  upon 
other  buildings,  also,  in  the  place,  during  that  period. 
Several  jobs  of  farming,  also,  were  undertaken  at 
different  times.  He  was  laying  up  money  to  assist 
himself  in  college,  in  addition  to  paying  his  way  at  the 
Institute. 

When  James  entered  the  school   his  attention  was 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER.  295 


attracted  to  a  class  of  three  in  geometry.  As  he 
listened  to  the  recitation  in  this  study,  which  was  ani- 
mated and  sharp,  he  became  particularly  impressed. 
Since  that  time  he  said,  ''  I  regarded  teacher  and  class 
with  reverential  awe."  The  three  persons  in  the  class 
were  William  B.  Hazen,  who  became  one  of  our  most 
distinguished  major-generals  in  the  late  rebellion,  and 
who  is  now  in  the  public  service ;  Geo.  A.  Baker,  now 
a  prominent  citizen  of  Cleveland.  Ohio  ;  and  Miss 
Almeda  A.  Booth,  a  very  talented  lady  of  nearly  thirty 
years,  who  was  teaching  in  the  school,  and  at  the  same 
time  pursuing  her  studies  in  the  higher  mathematics 
and  classics.  As  this  Miss  Booth  exerted  a  more 
powerful  influence  upon  James  than  any  other  teacher, 
except  Dr.  Mark  Hopkins,  of  Williams  College,  we 
shall  speak  of  her  particularly,  and  her  estimate  of  our 
hero.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  Methodist  preacher, 
whose  circuit  extended  a  thousand  miles  on  the 
Reserve ;  a  man  of  marked  mental  strength,  and  of 
great  tact  and  energy.  The  daughter  inherited  her 
father's  intellectual  power  and  force  of  character,  so 
that,  when  the  young  man  to  whom  she  was  betrothed 
died,  she  resolved  to  consecrate  herself  to  hifrher 
intellectual  culture,  that  her  usefulness  might  be 
augmented.  This  resolution  brought  her  to  the 
Eclectic  Institute.  She  died  in  1875,  ^"^  afterwards 
General  Garfield  said  of  her  talents,  "  When  she  was 
twelve  years  of  age  she  used  to  puzzle  her  teachers 
with  questions,  and  distress  them  by  correcting  their 
mistakes.  One  of  these,  a  male  teacher,  who  was  too 
proud  to  acknowledge  the  corrections  of  a  child,  called 
upon  the  most  learned  man  in  town  for  help  and  advice 


296  LOG-CABLY  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

in  regard  to  a  point  of  dispute  between  them.  He  was 
told  that  he  was  in  error,  and  that  he  must  acknowledge 
his  mistake.  The  teacher  was  manly  enough  to  follow 
this  wise  advice,  and  thereafter  made  this  little  girl  his 
friend  and  helper.  It  was  like  her  to  help  him  quietly, 
and  without  boasting.  During  her  whole  life,  none  of 
her  friends  ever  heard  an  intimation  from  her  that  she 
had  ever  achieved  an  intellectual  triumph  over  anybody 
in  the  world." 

It  was  fortunate  for  James  that  this  accomplished 
lady  became  deeply  interested  in  his  progress  and 
welfare. 

"  The  most  remarkable  young  man  I  ever  met,"  she 
said  to  the  principal.  **  There  must  be  a  grand  future 
before  him." 

"True,  if  he  does  not  fall  out  of  the  way,"  answered 
the  principal. 

"  I  scarcely  thought  that  was  possible  when  I  spoke. 
His  Christian  purpose  is  one  of  the  remarkable  things 
about  him.  His  talents,  work,  everything,  appear  to 
be  subject  to  this  Christian  aim.  I  feel  that  he  will 
make  a  power  in  the  world." 

"  I  agree  with  you  :  such  are  my  feelings  in  regard 
to  him,  notwithstanding  the  prevalence  of  temptations 
that  lure  and  destroy  so  many  of  our  hopeful  young 
men."  The  principal  had  seen  more  of  the  world  than 
Miss  Booth,  so  he  spoke  with  less  confidence, 

James  had  been  connected  with  the  school  but  a 
few  months  before  his  studies  were  the  same  as  those 
of  Miss  Booth,  and  they  were  in  the  same  classes. 
"  I  was  far  behind  Miss  Booth  in  mathematics  and  the 
physical  sciences,"  he  said,  since,  **  but  we  were  nearly 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHJLR.  297 

in  the  same  place  in  Greek  and  Latin."  She  could 
render  him  essential  aid  in  his  studies,  and  she  delighted 
to  do  it.  Their  studies  were  nearly  the  same  until  he 
ceased  to  be  a  member  of  the  school.  The  librarian 
kept  text-books  for  sale,  and  the  following  are  his 
memoranda  of  sales  to  them  : 

"January,  1852.     Latin  Grammar  and  Caesar. 
March,  1852.     Greek  Grammar. 
April,  1852.     French  Grammar. 
August,  1852.     German  Grammar  and  Reader. 
November,    1852.       Xenophon's  Memorabilia  and 
Greek  Testament." 

All  this  in  a  single  year. 

"August,  1853.     Sophocles  and  Herodotus. 
November,  1853.     Homer's  Iliad." 

During  the  fall  term  of  1853,  Miss  Booth  and  James 
read  about  one  hundred  pages  of  Herodotus  and  one 
hundred  of  Livy.  They  met  two  of  the  professors, 
also,  on  two  evenings  of  each  week,  to  make  a  joint 
translation  of  the  book  of  Romans.  His  diary  has  this 
record  for  December  15,  1853:  "  Translation  society 
sat  three  hours  at  Miss  Booth's  room,  and  agreed 
upon  the  translation  of  nine  verses."  The  record 
shows  that  these  studies  were  pursued  critically,  and 
therefore  slowly. 

Miss  Booth  was  more  or  less  familiar  with  the  stand- 
ard authors  of  English  literature,  both  prose  and  poetry  ; 
and  she  aided  James  greatly  in  the  selection  of  books, 
many  of  which  they  read  together,  discussing  their 
merits  and  making  notes.  In  a  tribute  to  her  memory, 
a  few  years  since,  General  Garfield  said  :  "  The  few 


298  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


spare  hours  which  schoolwork  left  us,  were  devoted 
to  such  pursuits  as  each  preferred,  but  much  study  was 
done  in  common.  I  can  name  twenty  or  thirty  books, 
which  will  be  doubly  precious  to  me  because  they  were 
read  and  discussed  in  company  with  her,  I  can  still 
read  between  the  lines  the  memories  of  her  first  im- 
pressions of  the  pagCy.  and  her  judgment  of  its  merits. 
She  was  always  ready  to  aid  any  friend  with  her  best 
efforts." 

James  was  appointed  to  prepare  a  thesis  for  an  ex- 
hibition day.  One  evening  he  repaired  to  the  room  of 
Miss  Booth. 

"  I  want  your  help.  Miss  Booth,"  he  said.  *'  I  am 
afraid  that  I  shall  make  a  botch  of  it,  without  your 
assistance." 

"I  will  risk  you,"  Miss  Booth  replied;  ''but  I  will 
render  you  all  the  assistance  in  my  power." 

**  That  will  be  all  I  shall  need,"  remarked  James, 
facetiously ;  '*  and  I  hardly  see  how  I  can  get  along 
with  less.  I  like  to  talk  over  subjects  before  I  write: 
it  is  a  great  help  to  me." 

"■  It  is  an  essential  help  to  everybody,"  answered 
Miss  Booth.  ''Two  heads  may  be  better  than  one 
in  canvassing  any  subject.  Discussion  awakens 
thought,  sharper  and  more  original ;  and  it  often 
directs  the  inquirer  to  new  and  fresher  sources  of 
information.  I  am  at  leisure  to  discuss  your  thesis 
at  length." 

So  James  opened  the  subject  by  stating  some  of  his 
difficulties,  and  making  inquiries.  Both  were  soon 
absorbed  in  the  subject  before  them,  so  thoroughly 
absorbed  as  to  take  no  note  of  time,  nor  dream  that 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER.  299 

the  night  was  gliding  away,  until  surprised  by  the 
morning  light  coming  in  at  the  window. 

In  1853,  Miss  Booth  proposed  that  twelve  of  the 
advanced  pupils  —  James  and  herself  among  the  num- 
ber—  should  organize  a  literary  society  for  the  purpose 
of  spending  the  approaching  vacation  of  four  weeks  in 
a  more  thorough  study  of  the  classics.  The  society 
was  formed,  and  the  services  of  one  of  the  professors 
were  secured,  to  whom  they  recited  statedly.  During 
that  vacation  they  read  "  the  Pastorals  of  Virgil,  the 
first  six  books  of  the  Iliad,  accompanied  by  a  thorough 
drill  in  the  Latin  and  Greek  grammars  at  each  recita- 
tion." It  proved  a  very  profitable  vacation  to  James, 
a  season  to  which  he  always  looked  back  with  pride 
and  pleasure.  He  regarded  Miss  Booth  as  the  moving 
and  controlling  spirit  of  that  society,  increasing  his 
sense  of  obligation  to  her. 

Perhaps  the  chief  reason  of  Miss  Booth's  confidence 
in  the  Christian  purpose  of  James,  as  expressed  to  the 
principal,  was  found  in  his  consistent  Christian  life. 
From  the  time  he  became  a  member  of  the  Institute 
he  took  an  active  part  in  the  religious  meetings,  identi- 
fying himself  with  the  people  of  God  in  the  village. 
His  exhortations  and  appeals  were  examples  of  earnest- 
ness and  eloquence,  to  which  the  students  and  citizens 
listened  in  rapt  attention.  No  student  of  so  much 
power  in  religious  meetings  had  been  connected  with 
the  school.  Indeed^  it  was  the  universal  testimony 
that  no  such  speaker,  of  his  age,  had  ever  been  heard. 

Father  Bentley,  pastor  of  the  Disciples'  Church  in 
Hiram,  was  wonderfully  drawn  to  James.  After  a  few 
months,  he  felt  that  James*  presence  was  almost  indis- 


300  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


pensable  to  the  success  of  a  meeting.  He  invited  him 
specially  to  address  the  audience.  Often  he  urged 
him  to  take  a  seat  upon  the  platform,  that  he  might 
address  the  assembly  to  better  advantage.  In  his 
absence  he  invited  James  to  take  charge  of  the  meeting. 
The  last  year  of  his  stay  at  Hiram,  Father  Bentley 
persuaded  him  several  times  to  occupy  his  pulpit  on 
the  Sabbath,  and  preach,  which  he  did  to  the  gratifica- 
tion of  the  audience. 

His  gift  at  public  speaking  was  so  remarkable,  that 
a  demand  w^as  frequently  made  upon  him  for  a  speech 
on  social  and  public  occasions.  It  is  related,  that,  at 
a  weekly  prayer-meeting,  he  was  on  the  platform  with 
Father  Bentley,  waiting  to  perform  his  accustomed 
part,  when  a  messenger  came  for  him  to  address  a 
political  meeting,  where  speakers  had  failed  them. 
Father  Bentley  scarcely  noticed  what  was  going  on, 
until  James  was  half-way  down  the  aisle,  when  he 
called  out : 

*' James,  don't  go!"  then  quickly,  as  if  thinking  his 
request  might  be  unreasonable,  he  said  to  the  congre- 
gation, "  Never  mind,  let  him  go  ;  that  boy  will  yet  be 
President  of  the  United  States." 

"  I  remember  his  vigorous  exhortations,  now,"  re- 
marked a  Christian  woman  recently,  who  was  con- 
nected with  the  Institute  at  that  time;  "they  were 
different  from  anything  I  was  accustomed  to  hear  in 
conference  meetings." 

"  How  were  they  different.^"  she  was  asked. 

"They  were  original  and  fresh  beyond  anything  I 
had  ever  heard  in  such  meetings  ;  nothing  common- 
place or  stale  about  them,  making  one  feel  that  they 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER.  lO\ 


were  not  the  thoughts  of  some  commentator  he  was 
giving  us  at  second  hand,  but  the  product  of  his  own 
genius  and  great  talents,  uttered  with  real  earnestness 
and  sincerity." 

*'  He  must  have  possessed  a  wonderful  command  of 
Ian2:ua2:e,"  remarked  her  friend. 

"That  was  one  thing  that  charmed  us.  His  flow  of 
language,  appropriate  and  select,  was  like  a  river.  It 
seemed  as  if  he  had  only  to  open  his  mouth,  and 
thoughts  flowed  out  clothed  in  language  that  was  all 
aglow.  Many,  many  times  I  heard  the  remark,  'he 
speaks  as  easily  as  he  breathes.'  Well,"  she  continued, 
after  a  pause,  ''  he  was  substantially  just  such  a  speaker 
then  as  he  was  afterwards  in  public  life,  bating  the  dig- 
nity that  age  and  experience  impart." 

In  this  connection  we  should  speak  of  him  as  a 
debater  in  the  lyceum.  He  was  older  and  more  ex- 
perienced at  Hiram  than  he  was  at  Chester,  and  his 
efforts  in  debate  were  accordingly  more  manly.  The 
Illinois  lady,  from  whom  we  have  already  quoted, 
says,  *'  In  the  lyceum  he  early  took  rank  far  above  the 
others  as  a  speaker  and  debater."  His  interest  in 
public  matters  was  growing  with  the  excitement  of 
the  times.  The  infamous  fugitive-slave  law,  for  the 
restoration  of  runaway  slaves  to  their  masters,  had 
been  enacted  by  Congress,  as  a  compromise  measure, 
and  no  people  of  the  country  felt  more  outraged  by 
the  attempts  to  enforce  the  Act  than  the  people  of 
the  Western  Reserve.  The  excitement  became  in- 
tense. Young  men  partook  of  it  in  common  with 
older  citizens.  It  pervaded  the  higher  schools.  It 
was  as  strong  in  the  Eclectic  Institute  as  elsewhere. 


302  LOG-CABIX   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

School  and  village  lyceiims  received  an  impetus  from 
it.  James  was  an  uncompromising  foe  to  slavery 
before  ;  if  possible,  he  was  more  so  now.  The  excite- 
ment fired  him  up  in  debate.  He  was  more  denuncia- 
tory than  ever  of  slavery.  He  had  been  a  great 
admirer  of  Daniel  Webster,  but  his  advocacy  of  the 
fugitive-slave  bill  awakened  his  contempt.  He  was 
not  a  young  man  to  conceal  his  feelings,  and  so  his 
utterance  was  emphatic. 

"  A  covenant  with  death,  and  an  agreement  with 
hell,"  he  exclaimed,  quoting  from.  Isaiah,  "that  will 
destroy  the  authors  of  it.  The  cry  of  the  oppressed 
and  down-trodden  will  appeal  to  the  Almighty  for 
retribution,  like  that  of  the  blood  of  Abel.  The 
lightning  of  divine  wrath  will  yet  shiver  the  old, 
gnarled  tree  of  slavery  to  pieces,  leaving  neither  root 
nor  branch ! " 

When  James  became  assistant  teacher,  he  had  for 
a  pupil,  in  his  Greek  class.  Miss  Lucretia  Rudolph, 
the  young  lady  in  whom  he  was  so  much  interested  at 
Chester.  Her  father  removed  to  Hiram,  in  order  to 
give  her  a  better  opportunity  to  acquire  a  thorough 
education. 

James  was  glad  to  meet  her  ;  and  he  was  happy  to 
welcome  so  talented  a  scholar  as  pupil.  He  had  no 
expectation  that  she  would  ever  stand  in  a  closer  rela- 
tion to  him  than  pupil.  But  the  weeks  and  months 
rolled  on,  and  she  became  one  of  his  permanent  schol- 
ars,  not  only  in  Greek,  but  in  other  branches  as  well ; 
in  all  of  them  developing  a  scholarship  that  won  his 
admiration.  At  the  same  time,  her  many  social  and 
moral    qualities    impressed    him,  and    the    impression 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER.  303 

deepened  from  month  to  month.  The  result  was,  be- 
fore he  closed  his  connection  with  the  school,  that  a 
mutual  attachment  grew  up  between  them,  and  she 
engaged  to  become  his  wife  when  he  had  completed 
his  course  of  study,  and  was  settled.  He  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  and  Miss  Rudolph  was  one  year  his 
junior. 

This  was  one  of  the  most  important  steps  that 
James  had  taken,  and  it  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
most  fortunate.  Those  who  prophesied  that  the  en- 
gagement would  interfere  with  his  studies  did  not  fully 
understand  or  appreciate  the  solidity  of  his  character 
nor  the  inflexibility  of  his  purpose.  Such  love  affairs 
are  often  deprecated  because  so  many  young  men 
allow  them  to  interfere  with  their  life-purpose,  thus 
disclosing  weakness  and  puerile  ideas.  With  James, 
the  love  affair  became  an  aid  to  the  controlling  pur- 
pose of  his  life,  and,  at  the  same  time,  served  to  refine 
his  coarser  qualities  by  passing  them  through  the  fire 
of  a  pure  and  exalted  passion.  True  love  is  sweeter 
and  higher  than  the  brightest  talents,  and  when  its 
pure  and  elevating  influence  refines  the  latter,  they 
shine  with  a  fairer  lustre  than  ever.  This  was  emi- 
nently true  of  James. 

Notwithstanding  James  was  so  bashful  and  retiring 
when  he  first  went  to  Chester  to  commence  his  stud- 
ies, he  became  one  of  the  most  social  and  genial 
students  at  Hiram.  He  was  the  life  of  the  social 
circle.  Unlike  many  ripe  students,  whose  minds  are 
wholly  absorbed  in  their  studies,  he  could  unbend  him- 
self, and  enter  into  a  social  occasion  with  zest,  bring- 
ing  his  talents,  his  acquisitions,  his  wit  and  humor, 


304  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

to  contribute  to  the  enjoyment  of  all.  The  lady  in 
Illinois,  from  whom  we  have  twice  quoted,  says  on 
this  point : 

"  During  the  month  of  June,  the  entire  school  went 
in  carriages  to  their  annual  grove-meeting,  at  Ran- 
dolph, some  twenty-five  miles  away.  On  this  trip 
he  was  the  life  of  the  party,  occasionally  bursting  out 
in  an  eloquent  strain  at  the  sight  of  a  bird  or  a  trail- 
ing vine,  or  a  venerable  giant  of  the  forest.  He  would 
repeat  poetry  by  the  hour,  having  a  very  retentive 
memory." 

The  reader  learns  from  this,  that  it  was  not  "  small 
talk,"  nor  mere  slang  and  folly,  that  he  contributed  to 
a  social  time,  but  sensible,  instructive  material.  He 
had  no  sympathy  for,  or  patience  with,  young  men 
who  dabbled  in  silly,  trifling  conversation  and  acts,  to 
entertain  associates.  To  him  it  was  evidence  of  such 
inherent  weakness,  and  absence  of  common  sense, 
that  it  aroused  his  contempt.  One  who  was  intimate 
with  him  in  social  gatherings  at  Hiram  makes  a  re- 
mark that  discloses  an  important  element  of  his  popu- 
larity. "  There  was  a  cordiality  in  his  disposition 
which  won  quickly  the  favor  and  esteem  of  others. 
He  had  a  happy  habit  of  shaking  hands,  and  would 
give  a  hearty  grip,  which  betokened  a  kind-hearted 
feeling  for  all."  The  same  writer  says,  what  confirms 
the  foregoing  statements  respecting  his  recognized 
abilities,  "  In  those  days  both  the  faculty  and  pupils 
were  in  the  habit  of  calling  him  'the  second  Webster,' 
and  the  remark  was  common,  '  He  will  fill  the  White 
House,  yet.'  " 

There  was  one  branch  of  the  fine  arts  that  he  pur- 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER.  305 

sued,  to  gratify  a  taste  in  that  direction,  which  should 
receive  a  passing  notice.  It  was  mezzotint  drawing. 
He  became  so  proficient  in  the  art  that  he  was 
appointed  teacher  of  the  same.  The  lady  from  whom 
we  have  quoted  was  one  of  his  pupils,  and  she  writes  : 

*'  One  of  his  gifts  was  that  of  mezzotint  drawing,  and 
he  gave  instructions  in  this  branch.  I  was  one  of  his 
pupils  in  this,  and  have  now  the  picture  of  a  cross, 
upon  which  he  did  some  shading  and  put  on  the 
finishing  touches.  Upon  the  margin  is  written,  in  the 
hand  of  the  noted  teacher,  his  own  name  and  his 
pupil's.  There  are,  also,  two  other  drawings,  one  of  a 
large  European  bird  on  the  bough  of  a  tree,  and  the 
other  a  churchyard  scene  in  winter,  done  by  him  at 
that  time." 

Thus  the  versatility  of  his  talents,  enforced  by  his 
intense  application,  appeared  to  win  in  almost  any 
undertaking.  Without  his  severe  application,  his 
versatility  would  not  have  availed  much.  He  re- 
duced that  old  maxim  thoroughly  to  practice,  "  Ac- 
complish, or  never  attempt,"  because  his  application 
was  invincible.  Here  was  the  secret  of  his  success 
in  teaching.  He  was  just  as  good  a  teacher  as  scholar. 
Before  the  completion  of  his  academic  course,  the 
trustees  made  his  success  a  subject  of  serious  con- 
sideration. 

"  We  must  secure  his  return  to  Hiram  as  soon  as 
he  gets  through  college,"  said  the  chairman.  "He 
will  make  a  popular  and  successful  professor." 

"That  is  true,"  replied  another  trustee.  "  In  what 
department  would  you  put  him  t  " 

"Any  department   that  is  open.     He  will  fill  any 


306  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

department  admirably.  I  have  noticed  that  when 
we  conclude  that  he  is  particularly  suited  to  one 
position,  he  soon  surprises  us  by  filling  another  equally 
well." 

"  It  will  certainly  be  for  the  popularity  of  the  school 
to  instal  him  over  a  prominent  professorship  here," 
added  the  chairman  ;  "  and  I  dare  say  it  will  be  agree- 
able to  his  feelings." 

The  subject  was  not  dropped  here.  Both  the  prin- 
cipal and  chairman  of  the  board  interviewed  James 
upon  the  subject ;  and  when  he  left  the  Institute  for 
college,  it  was  well  understood  that  he  would  return 
at  the  close  of  his  college  course.  The  present  presi- 
dent of  the  institution  says  : 

"  I  shall  not  here  speak  of  him  as  a  teacher  further 
than  to  say,  in  two  years'  service  he  had  demonstrated 
his  great  ability  in  that  capacity,  had  won  the  hearts 
of  the  students  generally,  and  had  wrought  in  the 
minds  of  the  school  authorities  the  conviction  that  his 
further  service  would  be  indispensable  on  his  return 
from  college." 

On  his  success  as  a  teacher,  when  preparing  for 
college,  the  Illinois  lady,  who  was  his  pupil,  writes : 

"  He  was  a  most  entertaining  teacher, —  ready  with 
illustrations,  and  possessing  in  a  marked  degree,  the 
power  of  exciting  the  interest  of  the  scholars,  and 
afterwards  making  clear  to  them  the  lessons.  In  the 
arithmetic  class  there  were  ninety  pupils,  and  I  can- 
not recollect  a  time  when  there  was  any  flagging  in 
the  interest.  There  were  never  any  cases  of  unruly 
conduct,  or  a  disposition  to  shirk.  With  scholars  who 
were  slow  of  comprehension,  or  to  whom  recitations 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER.  307 

were  a  burden,  on  account  of  their  modest  and  retir- 
ing disposition,  he  was  especially  attentive,  and  by 
encouraging  words  and  gentle  assistance  would  man- 
age to  put  all  at  their  ease,  and  awaken  in  them  a 
confidence  in  themselves." 

A  leading  lawyer  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Hon.  J.  H. 
Rhodes,  referring  to  his  connection  with  the  school, 
at  the  time  James  was  studying  and  teaching,  in  a 
public  assembly,  said,  — 

"  I  remember  a  circumstance  that  had  much  to  do 
with  my  remaining  at  Hiram.  I  was  a  little  home- 
sick, and  one  day  I  went  into  the  large  hall  of  the 
college  building,  and  the  tall,  muscular,  tow-headed 
man  in  charge  there,  who  was  teaching  algebra,  came 
up  to  me,  and,  seeing  a  cloud  over  my  face,  threw 
his  arms  about  me  in  an  ardent  way.  Immediately 
the  home-sickness  disappeared.  The  tow-headed  man 
has  not  so  much  hair  to-day  as  he  had  then.  Hard 
knocks  in  public  life  have  uprooted  a  heap  of  his 
hair." 

"Going  to  Bethany  College,  I  suppose,"  remarked 
the  principal  to  him.  That  was  the  college  estab- 
lished by  Alexander  Campbell,  founder  of  the  sect 
called  Disciples. 

'*  I  had  intended  to  go  there  until  recently,"  James 
answered. 

"  What  has  changed  your  purpose  }  That  college 
is  of  our  denomination,  you  know." 

''  Yes,  I  know  ;  but  I  have  been  thinking  that  it 
might  be  better  for  me  to  enlarge  my  observation  by 
going  beyond  our  sect." 

"That  may  be  ;  you  want  more  room,  do  you  ?" 


3o8  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

'*  I  know  the  Disciples'  church  pretty  well.  Perhaps 
I  had  better  know  something  outside  of  it.  It  seems 
narrow  to  me  to  tie  myself  down  to  the  limits  of 
my  own  denomination.  Besides,  will  it  not  be  of 
real  value  to  me  to  connect  myself  with  a  New  Eng- 
land college  1 " 

"  Perhaps  so  ;  I  agree  with  you  in  the  main  ;  too 
contracted  a  sphere  will  not  be  well  for  you.  That 
idea  is  well  worth  considering.  You  will  be  qualified 
to  enter  college  two  years  in  advance ;  at  least,  you 
can  enter  some  colleges  two  years  in  advance.  What 
college  have  you  in  mind  .-*  " 

"  I  have  not  decided  upon  any  particular  one,  yet. 
I  am  going  to  write  to  Yale  College,  Williams  College, 
and  Brown  University,  stating  the  ground  I  have 
been  over,  and  inquiring  whether  I  can  enter  as  Junior, 
learning  the  expense,  and  other  things." 

"  That  is  a  good  plan.  Then  you  will  know  definitely 
where  to  go,  and  you  can  prepare  accordingly." 

James  did  write  to  the  presidents  of  Yale  College, 
New  Haven,  Ct.,  Williams  College,  Williamstown, 
Mass.,  and  to  the  president  of  Brown  University, 
Providence,  R.  L,  also  ;  and  each  one  of  the  presi- 
dents replied  to  his  inquiries.  The  substance  of  the 
answers,  together  with  his  decision,  may  be  learned 
from  a  letter  which  James  wrote  to  a  friend  one  week 
before  he  started  for  college,  as  follows : 

"  There  are  three  reasons  why  I  have  decided  not 
to  go  to  Bethany :  P""irst,  the  course  of  study  is  not  so 
extensive  or  thorough  as  in  eastern  colleges ;  second, 
I^ethany  leans  too  heavily  toward  slavery  ;  third,  I 
am  the  son  of   Disciple  parents,  am   one  myself,  and 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER.  309 

have  had  but  little  acquaintance  with  people  of  other 
views,  and  having  always  lived  in  the  west,  I  think  it 
will  make  me  more  liberal,  both  in  my  religious  and 
general  views  and  sentiments,  to  go  into  a  new  circle, 
where  I  shall  be  under  new  influences.  These  con- 
siderations led  me  to  conclude  to  go  to  some  New 
England  college.  I  therefore  wrote  to  the  presidents 
of  Brown  University,  Yale,  and  Williams,  setting 
forth  the  amount  of  study  I  had  done,  and  asking  how 
long  it  would  take  me  to  finish  their  course, 

**  Their  answers  are  now  before  me.  All  tell  me  I 
can  graduate  in  two  years.  They  are  all  brief  busi- 
ness notes,  but  President  Hopkins  concludes  with  this 
sentence :  *  If  you  come  here  we  shall  be  glad  to  do 
what  we  can  for  you.'  Other  things  being  so  nearly 
equal,  this  sentence,  which  seems  to  be  a  kind  of 
friendly  grasp  of  the  hand,  has  settled  the  question  for 
me.     I  shall  start  for  Williams  next  week." 

James  always  did  like  to  have  people  carry  their 
hearts  in  their  hands,  as  he  did  ;  and  Dr.  Hopkins 
came  so  near  to  it  that  he  put  his  heart  in  his  pen, 
when  he  wrote,  and  James  accepted  his  hearty  hand- 
shake. 

"  How  is  it,  James,  about  funds }  You  cannot 
have  enough  money  laid  up  for  your  college  ex- 
penses," his  brother  said  to  him,  several  weeks 
before  he  closed  his  studies  at  Hiram,  just  at  the 
time  when  James  was  revolving  the  subject  with 
some  anxiety.  True,  he  had  trusted  to  Providence 
so  much,  and  Providence  had  provided  for  him  so 
unexpectedly  at  times,  and  so  generously  always, 
that  he  was  disposed  to  trust  for  the  wherewith  to 


310  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

pay  expenses  in  college.  His  brother's  question  was 
timely.  He  always  thought  that  Providence  man- 
aged the  affair. 

"  No,  I  have  not  more  than  half  enough,"  James 
replied  ;  "  but  I  shall  teach  in  the  winter,  and  per- 
haps I  can  find  some  kind  of  labor  to  perform  in 
term  time.  I  always  have  been  able  to  pay  my 
way. 

*'  But  if  you  enter  two  years  in  advance,  I  would 
not  advise  you  to  labor  in  term  time.  You  will  have 
enough  to  do." 

"  How  can  I  pay  my  way,  unless  I  do  work  t " 

"  I  will  loan  you  money  to  meet  your  expenses." 

'*  And  wait  long  enough  for  me  to  pay  it  V' 

"  Yes.  When  you  get  through  college  you  can 
teach,  and  it  will  not  take  you  long  to  pay  the  debt." 

"  Suppose  I  should  die ;  where  will  you  get  your 
pay.? 

"That  is  my  risk." 

"  It  ought  not  to  be  your  risk.  It  is  not  right  that 
you  should  lose  the  money  on  my  account." 

"It  is,  if  I  consent  to  it." 

"  It  occurs  to  me,"  continued  James,  after  a  pause, 
"  that  I  can  arrange  it  in  this  way.  You  can  loan 
me  the  money,  and  I  will  get  my  life  insured  for  five 
hundred  dollars.  This  will  protect  you  in  case  of 
my  death." 

"I  will  agree  to  that,  if  it  suits  you 'any  better." 

"Well,  it  does.  I  shall  be  satisfied  with  that 
method  ;  and  I  shall  be  relieved  of  some  anxiety.  I 
want  to  make  my  two  years  in  college  the  most  profit- 
able of  any  two  years  of  my  course  of  study." 


STUDENT  AND    TEACHER.  31I 

James  took  out  an  insurance  upon  his  life,  and 
when  he  carried  it  to  his  brother  he  remarked  : 

**  If  I  hve  I  shall  pay  you,  and  if  I  die  you  will  suffer 
no  loss." 

What  James  accomplished  during  the  three  years 
he  was  at  Hiram  Institute,  may  be  briefly  stated, 
thus  :  The  usual  preparatory  studies,  requiring  four 
years,  together  with  the  studies  of  the  first  two  years, 
in  college,  —  the  studies  of  six  years  in  all,  —  he  mas- 
tered in  three  years.  At  the  same  time  he  paid  his 
own  bills  by  janitor  and  carpenter  work,  and  teach- 
ing, and,  in  addition,  laid  up  a  small  amount  for  col- 
lege expenses. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 
IN  COLLEGE. 

jT  the  close  of  the  summer  term  at  Williams 
College,  candidates  for  admission,  who  pre- 
sented themselves,  were  examined.  James 
presented  himself  to  Dr.  Hopkins  very  dif- 
ferent, in  his  personal  appearance,  from  the  well- 
worded  and  polished  letter  that  he  wrote  to  him.  One 
describes  him  —  "As  a  tall,  awkward  youth,  with  a  great 
shock  of  light  hair,  rising  nearly  erect  from  a  broad, 
high  forehead,  and  an  open,  kindly,  and  thoughtful 
face,  which  showed  no  traces  of  his  long  struggle  with 
poverty  and  privation."  His  dress  was  thoroughly 
western,  and  very  poor  at  that.  It  was  evident  to  Dr. 
Hopkins  that  the  young  stranger  before  him  did  not 
spend  much  time  at  his  toilet ;  that  he  cared  more  for 
an  education  than  he  did  for  dress.  Of  course,  Dr. 
Hopkins  did  not  recognize  him. 

"  My  name  is  Garfield,  from  Ohio,"  said  James. 
That  was  enough.  Dr.  Hopkins  recalled  the  capital 
letter  which  the  young  man  wrote.  His  heart  was  in 
his  hand  at  once,  and  he  repeated  the  cordial  hand- 
shake that  James  felt  when  he  read  in  the  doctor's 
letter,  "If  you  come  here,  wc  shall  be  glad  to  do  what 
wc  can   for  you."     James  felt  at  home  at  once.     It 


IN  COLLEGE.  313 


was  such  a  kind,  fatherly  greeting,  that  he  felt  almost 
as  if  he  had  arrived  home.  He  never  had  a  natural 
father  whom  he  could  remember,  but  now  he  had  found 
an  intellectual  father,  surely,  and  he  was  never  happier 
in  his  life.  Yet  a  reverential  awe  possessed  his  soul 
as  he  stood  before  the  president  of  the  college,  whose 
massive  head  and  overhanging  brow  denoted  a  giant  in 
intellect.  James  was  perfectly  satisfied  that  he  had 
come  to  the  right  place,  now ;  he  had  no  wish  to  be 
elsewhere.  He  had  read  Dr.  Hopkins'  Lectures  on 
the  "  Evidences  of  Christianity,"  and  now  the  author 
impressed  him  just  as  the  book  did  when  he  read  it. 
The  impression  of  greatness  was  uppermost. 

James  passed  the  examination  without  any  difficulty, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Junior  class.  Indeed,  his 
examination  was  regarded  as  superior.  He  was  qual- 
ified to  stand  abreast  with  the  Juniors,  who  had  spent 
Freshman  and  Sophomore  years  in  the  colleges.  And 
this  fact  illustrates  the  principle  of  thoroughness,  for 
which  we  have  said  James  was  distinguished.  In  a 
great  measure  he  had  been  his  own  teacher  in  the 
advanced  studies  that  he  must  master  in  order  to  en- 
ter the  Junior  class  ;  yet  he  was  thoroitgJily  prepared. 

"  You  can  have  access  to  the  college  library,  if  you 
remain  here  during  the  summer  vacation,"  said  Dr. 
Hopkins  to  him.  ''If  you  enjoy  reading,  you  will  have 
a  good  opportunity  to  indulge  your  taste  for  it." 

"I  shall  remain  here  during  vacation,  and  shall  be 
thankful  for  the  privilege  of  using  the  library,"  an- 
swered James.  "  I  have  not  had  the  time  to  read 
what  I  desire,  hitherto,  as  I  have  had  to  labor  and 
teach,   to  pay  my  bills.     It  will  be  a  treat  for  me  to 


314  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

spend  a  few  weeks  in  reading,  with  nothing  else 
to  do." 

Dr.  Hopkins  gave  him  excellent  advice,  and  words 
of  encouragement,  not  only  for  vacation,  but  for  term 
time,  as  well ;  and  James  found  himself  revelling 
among  books,  within  a  few  days.  He  had  never  seen 
a  library  of  such  dimensions  as  that  into  which  he 
was  now  introduced,  and  his  voracious  mental  appe- 
tite could  now  partake  of  a  "square  meal."  One  of 
the  authors  whom  he  desired  to  know  was  Shakespeare. 
He  had  read  only  such  extracts  from  his  writings  as 
he  had  met  with  in  other  volumes.  Therefore  he  took 
up  a  volume  containing  Shakespeare's  entire  works 
with  peculiar  satisfaction.  He  read  and  studied  it, 
studied  and  read  it,  committing  portions  of  it  to  mem- 
ory, and  fairly  made  the  contents  of  the  book  his  own. 
His  great  familiarity  with  the  works  of  Shakespeare 
dates  from  that  period.  Certain  English  poets,  also, 
he  read  and  studied,  for  the  first  time ;  and  he  com- 
mitted a  number  of  poems  to  memory,  which  he 
always  retained.  Works  of  fiction  he  rejected  from 
principle.  When  he  joined  the  Disciples'  church  he 
resolved  to  read  no  novels.  His  decision  was  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  practice  of  that  church.  On  the 
whole,  that  vacation  in  the  college  library  was  a  very 
profitable  one  to  James.  It  was  just  what  he  needed 
after  so  many  years  of  hard  study  in  the  sciences  and 
classics. 

It  was  well  for  him,  too,  to  be  relieved  from  the 
strain  of  study  and  pecuniary  support,  that  had  taxed 
him  heavily  from  the  outset.  He  had  no  carpenter's 
job  on  hand,  or  class  to  teach,  for  his  support.     For 


IN  COLLEGE.  315 


exercise,  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the  scenery  lured 
him  into  the  fields  and  over  the  mountains.  The 
wild,  mountainous  country  around  presented  a  striking 
contrast  with  the  level,  monotonous  landscape  of  the 
Western  Reserve.  He  enjoyed  explorations  of  the 
region ;  climbing  Greylock  to  its  summit  that  he 
might  take  in  the  view,  plunging  into  forests,  and 
ranging  fields,  until  the  country  for  miles  around  was 
almost  as  famihar  to  him  as  Orange  township,  Ohio. 
By  the  time  the  college  term  opened,  he  was  as  famil- 
iar with  the  locality  as  any  of  the  students. 

"Hill,  what  do  you  think  of  that  westerner.!^"  said 
one  of  the  juniors  to  his  classmate.  Hill,  a  few  days 
after  the  term  began.     '*  Got  acquainted  with  him  t  " 

"  Not  exactly  ;  haven't  had  time  yet.     Have  you  ? " 

"A  little  acquainted  ;  not  much,  though." 

*'  He  is  not  a  slave  to  the  fashions,  I  conclude ; " 
alluding  to  his  rather  uncouth  dress. 

''  No ;  he  gives  tailors  a  wide  berth,  in  my  judg- 
ment :  but  he  is  none  the  worse  for  that.  Put  him 
into  a  tasty  garb,  and  he  would  be  a  splendid-looking 
fellow." 

*'  That's  so :  but  neither  his  character  nor  scholarship 
would  be  improved  by  the  change.  If  dress  would  im- 
prove these,  some  of  our  fellows  would  patronize  tailors 
more  than  butchers,  a  great  deal." 

"I  think  I  shall  like  him,  judging  from  a  slight  ac- 
quaintance.    A  little  western  in  his  speech." 

**  Western  provincialisms  .-*  " 

"  Yes  ;  though  not  bad.  Evidently  he  is  one  of  the 
fellows  who  will  go  through  thick  and  thin  to  acquire 
an  education.     There  must  be  considerable  to  him,  or 


3l6  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

he  never  could  enter  a  New  England  college  two  years 
in  advance,  especially  if  he  prepared  at  the  west." 

"  Do  you  know  where,  in  the  west,  he  fitted  for  col- 
lege ?" 

"  At  a  little  place  on  the  Western  Reserve  some- 
where ;  an  academy  that  belongs  to  a  sect  called  Dis- 
ciples.    So  one  of  the  boys  says." 

"  Disciples  !  I  never  heard  of  that  sect  before,  ex- 
cept the  one  in  New  Testament  times.  A  disciple 
will  work  in  well,  here ; "  trying  to  be  humorous. 

This  conversation  shows  quite  well  the  circumstances 
in  which  James  was  brought  into  contact  with  the  stu- 
dents. That  they  should  scrutinize  his  apparel  and  ap- 
pearance, is  not  strange.  James  expected  that,  and  the 
thought  caused  him  some  embarrassment.  He  knew 
very  well  that  his  dress  must  appear  shabby  to  young 
men  who  consulted  tailors,  and  that  his  speech  was 
marred  by  provincialisms  that  must  sound  queerly  to 
them.  So  he  very  naturally  dreaded  the  introduction  to 
college  life.  Yet  he  proved  as  much  of  a  philosopher 
here  as  elsewhere,  and  made  the  best  of  the  situation. 
He  was  happily  disappointed  in  his  intercourse  with 
students.  He  found  no  pride  or  caste  among  them. 
They  treated  him  kindly,  and  gave  him  a  hearty  wel- 
come to  their  companionship.  Within  a  few  weeks  he 
ranked  among  the  ''best  fellows"  of  the  college.  The 
college  boys  soon  found  that  the  "  Great  West "  had 
turned  out  a  great  scholar ;  that  the  student  who  had 
the  least  to  do  with  tailors  was  a  rare  fellow ;  and  they 
treated  him  accordingly.  James  never  had  any  reason 
to  complain  of  his  treatment  by  the  faculty  and  stu- 
dents of  Williams  College. 


IN  COLLEGE.  317 


"He  is  one  of  the  most  accurate  scholars  I  ever 
knew,"  said  Hill  to  Leavitt,  some  weeks  after  James 
entered  college  ;  "  he  never  misses  anything,  and  he 
never  fails  to  answer  a  question." 

**  That  is  because  he  knows  it  all,"  replied  Leavitt. 
"  He  gave  me  some  account  of  his  methods  of  study 
in  preparing  for  college.  He  did  it  all  himself,  pretty 
much.  He  sticks  to  anything  until  he  understands  it 
fully  ;  that  gives  him  the  advantage  now.  He  is  one 
of  the  best-read  students  in  college,  and  all  that  he 
ever  read  is  at  his  tongue's  end." 

"  He  showed  tJiat  in  the  debate  last  Saturday,"  con- 
tinued Hill.  '*  His  ability  as  a  debater  is  superior ; 
nobody  in  this  college  can  compete  with  him."  Ref- 
erence was  here  made  to  a  debate  in  the  Philologian 
society  of  the  college. 

"A  born  speaker,  I  think.  It  is  just  as  easy  for 
him  to  speak  as  it  is  to  recite  ;  and  that  is  easy 
enough." 

*' I  predict,"  continued  Hill,  "that  he  will  stand  at 
the  head  of  our  class,  notwithstanding  he  entered  two 
years  in  advance." 

"  It  looks  so  now.  *  All  signs  fail  in  a  dry  time,'  it 
is  said,  but  the  signs  certainly  point  that  way." 

That  these  young  men  were  not  partial,  or  mis- 
taken, in  their  estimate  of  James,  is  evident  from  the 
following*  communication,  penned  by  a  classmate  re- 
cently, after  the  lapse  of  twenty-five  years  : 

"  In  a  class  of  forty  or  more,  he  immediately  took  a 
stand  above  all  others  for  accurate  scholarship  in  every 
branch,  but  particularly  distinguishing  himself  as  a 
writer,  reasoner,  and  debater.     He  was  remarkable  for 


3l8  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

going  to  the  bottom  of  every  subject  which  came  be- 
fore him,  and  seeing  and  presenting  it  in  entirely  a 
new  light.  His  essays  written  at  that  time,  not  of  the 
commonplace  character  too  common  in  college  compo- 
sitions, can  even  now  be  read  with  pleasure  and  admi- 
ration. While  an  indefatigable  worker,  he  was  by  no 
means  a  bookworm  or  recluse,  but  one  of  the  most 
companionable  of  men,  highly  gifted,  and  entertaining 
in  conversation,  ready  to  enjoy  and  give  a  joke,  and 
having  a  special  faculty  for  drawing  out  the  knowledge 
of  those  with  whom  he  conversed,  thus  enriching  his  own 
stock  of  information  from  the  acquirements  of  others. 
Even  then  he  showed  that  magnetic  power,  which  he 
afterwards  exhibited  in  a  remarkable  degree  in  pub- 
lic life,  of  surrounding  himself  with  men  of  various  tal- 
ents, and  of  employing  each  to  the  best  advantage  in 
his  sphere.  When  questions  for  discussion  arose  in 
the  college  societies,  Garfield  would  give  each  of  his 
allies  a  point  to  investigate ;  books  and  documents 
from  all  the  libraries  would  be  overhauled  ;  and  the 
mass  of  facts  thus  obtained  being  brought  together, 
Garfield  would  analyze  the  whole,  assign  each  of  the 
associates  his  part,  and  they  would  go  into  the  battle 
to  conquer.  He  was  always  in  earnest,  and  persist- 
ent in  carrying  his  point,  often  against  apparently  in- 
surmountable obstacles  ;  and  in  college  election  con- 
tests (which  are  often  more  intense  than  national  elec- 
tions) he  was  always  successful." 

James  had  taxed  himself  so  long  to  his  utmost 
capacity  by  advanced  and  extra  studies,  crowding  six 
years'  labor  into  three,  that  it  was  easy  for  him  now  to 
lead   his  class.     He  did  add  German  to  the  regular 


IN  COLLEGE.  319 


studies  of  the  college,  and  he  became  so  proficient  in 
it  within  one  year,  that  he  could  converse  considerably 
in  the  language.  But  all  this  was  little  labor  in  com- 
parison with  his  work  at  Hiram.  He  found  much 
time  to  read,  and  to  engage  in  the  sports  of  the  Cam- 
pus. The  latter  he  enjoyed  with  a  keen  relish ;  no  one 
entered  into  them  more  heartily  than  he  did.  His 
college  mates  now  recall  with  what  enthusiasm  he 
participated  in  their  games.  This  was  indispensable 
for  his  health  now,  as  he  had  no  labor  with  plane  or 
hammer  to  perform. 

The  "  Williams  Quarterly "  was  a  magazine  sup- 
ported by  the  college.  James  took  great  interest  in  it, 
and  his  compositions  frequently  adorned  its  pages, 
both  prose  and  poetry.  The  following  was  from  his 
pen  in  1854  :  — 

.      *' AUTUMN. 

"  Old  Autumn,  thou  art  here  !     Upon  the  earth 
And  in  the  heavens  the  sig-ns  of  death  are  hunor; 

O  Try   y 

For  o'er  the  earth's  brown  breast  stalks  pale  decay, 

And  'mong  the  lowering  clouds  the  wild  winds  wail. 

And  sighing  sadly,  shout  the  solemn  dirge 

O'er  Summer's  fairest  flowers,  all  faded  now. 

The  Winter  god,  descending  from  the  skies, 

Has  reached  the  mountain  tops,  and  decked  their  brows 

With  glittering  frosty  crowns,  and  breathed  his  breath 

Among  the  trumpet  pines,  that  herald  forth 

His  cominof. 

**  Before  the  driving  blast 
The  mountain  oak  bows  down  his  hoary  head, 
And  flings  his  withered  locks  to  the  rough  gales 
That  fiercely  roar  among  his  branches  bare, 
Uplifted  to  the  dark,  unpitying  heavens. 


320  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  skies  have  put  their  mourning  garments  on, 
And  hung  their  funeral  drapery  on  the  clouds. 
Dead  Nature  soon  will  wear  her  shroud  of  snow, 
And  lie  entombed  in  Winter's  icy  grave  ! 

"  Thus  passes  life.     As  heavy  age  comes  on 
The  joys  of  yoiith  —  bright  beauties  of  the  Spring 
Grow  dim  and  faded,  and  the  long,  dark  night 
Of  death's  chill  winter  comes.     But  as  the  Spring 
Rebuilds  the  ruined  wrecks  of  Winter's  waste, 
And  cheers  the  gloomy  earth  with  joyous  light, 
So  o'er  the  tomb  the  star  of  hope  shall  rise, 
And  usher  in  an  ever-during  day." 

"  Garfield,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  yourself 
this  vacation.^"  inquired  Bolter,  just  as  the  fall  term 
was  closing. 

"  I  am  considering  that  question,  now.  How  should 
I  make  it  teaching  penmanship,  do  you  think }  '* 

"  You  would  do  well  at  it ;  and  the  vacation  is  long 
enough  for  you  to  teach  about  ten  lessons." 

James  was  a  good  penman,  for  that  day,  and  he  had 
taken  charge  of  a  writing-class  in  school,  for  a  time. 
The  style  of  his  penmanship  would  not  be  regarded 
with  favor  now  by  teachers  in  that  department ;  never- 
theless it  was  a  broad,  clear,  business  style,  that  coun- 
try people,  at  least,  were  then  pleased  with. 

"  Think  I  could  readily  get  a  class } "  continued 
James. 

"  No  doubt  of  it.  Strike  right  out  into  the  country 
almost  anywhere,  and  you  will  find  the  way  open." 

"  I  am  quite  inclined  to  take  a  trip  into  New  Hamp- 
shire, to  see  what  I  can  do.  I  have  some  distant  rela- 
tives there  :  my  mother  was  born  there." 


IN  COLLEGE.  32 1 


''  Well,  if  you  go  where  your  mother  was  born,  you 
will  not  be  likely  to  get  into  bad  company,  though 
there  is  enough  of  it  in  New  Hampshire." 

"  Acquainted  there  ? " 

"  As  much  as  I  want  to  be.  There  is  too  much  of 
the  pro-slavery  democracy  there  for  me ;  but  they 
need  to  improve  their  penmanship  awfully,  Garfield. 
It  won't  interfere  with  j^//r  business." 

The  conversation  proceeded  in  a  kind  of  semi- 
jovial  way  until  the  bell  rang  for  recitation.  The 
upshot  was  that  James  opened  a  writing-school  in 
Pownal,  Vermont,  instead  of  in  New  Hampshire.  He 
met  with  some  party  who  directed  his  steps  to  this 
small  town,  where  he  taught  a  large  class  in  penman- 
ship,^ in  the  village  school-house.  It  proved  a  profit- 
able venture  to  him,  both  financially  and  socially. 
He  added  quite  a  little  sum  to  his  private  treasury, 
besides  making  many  warm  friends  and  enlarging  the 
sphere  of  his  observation  and  experience. 

As  he  spent  the  next  winter  vacation  in  New  York 
state,  we  may  relate  the  circumstances  here.  He 
went  to  Poestenkill,  a  country  village  about  six  miles 
from  Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  there  was  a  Disciples' 
church,  over  which  a  preacher  by  the  name  of 
Streeter  was  settled.  Here  he  opened  a  school  of 
penmanship,  thereby  earning  a  few  dollars,  in  addi- 
tion to  paying  his  expenses.  His  efforts  in  the  relig- 
ious conference  meeting  were  so  marked  that  the 
pastor  invited  him  to  occupy  his  pulpit  on  the  Sab- 
bath ;  and  the  invitation  was  accepted.  Having 
preached  once,  the  people  demanded  that  he  should 
preach  again  ;  and  he  did.     It  was  the  common  opin- 


322  LOG-CABIX   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ion  that  he  would  become  the  most  renowned  preacher 
in  the  Disciples'  church,"  no  one  doubting  that  he  was 
expecting  to  fill  the  sacred  office. 

James  became  acquainted  with  several  of  the 
teachers  and  school-committee  at  Troy,  and  when  he 
was  there  one  day,  Rev.  Mr.  Brooks,  one  of  the  com- 
mittee, surprised  him  by  saying : 

"We  have  a  vacancy  in  the  high-school,  and  I 
would  like  to  have  you  take  the  situation.  It  is  an 
easy  place,  and  a  good  salary  of  twelve  hundred 
dollars." 

''  You  want  me  to  begin  now,  I  suppose  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  next  week  the  term  begins." 

"  I  should  be  obliged  to  relinquish  the  idea  of 
graduating  at  Williams." 

"  That  would  be  necessary,  of  course ;  and  perhaps 
that  may  be  best  for  you." 

"  No  ;  it  seems  best  for  me  to  graduate,  at  any  rate  ; 
that  has  been  my  strong  desire  for  several  years,  and 
to  abandon  the  purpose  now,  when  I  am  just  on  the 
eve  of  realizing  my  hopes,  would  be  very  unwise." 

"  You  understand  your  own  business  best,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Brooks ;  ''  but  we  should  be  very  glad  to 
employ  you,  and  only  wish  that  you  could  see  it  for 
your  interest  to  accept  our  proposition." 

"  There  is  another  difficulty  in  the  way,"  James 
replied.  "  I  feel  under  some  obligations  to  Hiram 
Institute,  where  I  prepared  for  college.  There  was 
no  bargain  with  me,  and  yet  the  trustees  expect  me  to 
return,  and  take  a  position  as  teacher.  That  is  a 
young  institution,  struggling  to  live,  and  I  have  a 
desire  to  give  my  small  influence  to  it." 


IN  COLLEGE.  323 


"  You  need  not  decide  to-day ;  think  of  it  longer ; 
you  may  view  the  matter  differently  after  a  little 
thought,"  Mr.  Brooks  urged. 

"  No  ;  I  may  just  as  well  decide  now.  Your  offer  is 
a  tempting  one ;  I  could  soon  pay  my  debts  on  that 
salary.  I  cannot  expect  any  such  salary  at  Hiram, 
and  I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart  for  the  offer.  But 
my  ambition  has  been  to  win  an  honorable  diploma  at 
an  Eastern  college,  and  then  devote  my  energies  to 
the  institute  that  has  done  so  much  for  me.  I  must 
decline  your  alluring  offer." 

James  arrived  at  this  decision  quickly,  because 
accepting  the  offer  would  interfere  with  the  accomplish- 
ment of  the  great  purpose  of  his  life.  He  had  no 
difficulty,  at  any  time,  in  rejecting  any  proposition 
that  came  between* him  and  a  collegiate  education. 

His  refusal  of  the  tempting  offer  was  the  more 
remarkable  because  he  was  in  straitened  circum- 
stances at  the  time.  His  brother,  who  had  promised 
to  loan  him  money,  had  become  embarrassed,  so  that 
further  aid  from  that  quarter  was  out  of  the  question. 
He  needed  a  new  suit  of  clothes  very  much,  but  he 
had  not  the  money  to  purchase  them.  One  of  his 
friends  in  Poestenkill,  knowing  this,  went  to  a  tailor 
of  his  acquaintance  in  Troy,  Mr.  P.  S.  Haskell,  and 
said  : 

"We  have  a  young  man  in  our  village,  a  rare  fellow, 
who  is  poor,  but  honest,  and  he  wants  a  suit  of 
clothes.  He  is  struggling  to  go  through  Williams 
College,  and  finds  it  hard  sledding.  Can  you  do  any- 
thing for  him  } " 

"  Yes  ;  I  am  willing  to  help  such  a  young  man  to  a 


324  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

suit  of  clothes.     I  will  let  him  have  a  suit  of  clothes 
on  credit,"  the  tailor  replied  promptly. 

**  You  will  get  every  cent  of  your  pay  in  time,  I'm 
sure  of  that.  The  young  man  preaches  some  now,  and 
he  preaches  grandly." 

**\Vhat  is  his  name?" 

*' James  A.  Garfield.     His  home  is  in  Ohio." 

*'Well,  send  him  along." 

On  the  following  day  James  called  upon  the  tailor, 
frankly  told  him  his  circumstances,  and  promised  to 
pay  him  for  the  clothes  as  early  as  possible.  He  could 
not  fix  the  date. 

"Very  well,"  said  Mr.  Haskell,  who  was  thoroughly 
pleased  with  James'  appearance.  "  Take  your  own 
time;  don't  worry  yourself  about  the  debt.  Go  on 
with  your  education ;  and  when  you  have  some  money 
that  you  have  no  other  use-for,  pay  me."  James  got 
his  suit  of  clothes,  returned  to  college,  and  paid  the 
debt  in  due  time,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  tailor. 

After  returning  to  college,  James  looked  about  for 
pecuniary  relief.  Debts  on  his  second  year  had  already 
accumulated,  and  now  it  was  certain  that  he  would 
receive  no  loans  to  meet  them  from  his  brother.  He 
thought  of  the  cordial  and  friendly  doctor  who  examined 
him  about  six  years  before,  and  encouraged  him  to 
acquire  an  education,  —  Dr.  J.  P.  Robinson,  now  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  sat  down  and  wrote  to  the  jolly 
doctor,  stating  his  pressing  wants  and  future  purposes, 
telling  him  of  his  life  insurance,  and  of  his  expected 
connection  with  Hiram  Institute  as  teacher,  when  he 
would  be  able  to  liquidate  the  debt.  It  is  enough  to 
say  that  Dr.  Robinson  cheerfully  loaned  him  the  money. 


IN  COLLEGE.  325 


At  the  close  of  his  first  collegiate  year,  James  visited 
his  mother  in  Ohio.  She  was  then  living  with  her 
daughter,  who  was  married  and  settled  in  Solon.  It 
is  not  necessary  to  rehearse  the  details  of  this  visit : 
the  reader  can  imagine  the  mutual  joy  it  occasioned 
much  better  than  we  can  describe  it.  Imagination 
cannot  exaggerate  the  satisfaction  his  mother  found 
in  meeting  her  son  again,  so  near  the  ministry,  where 
she  had  come  to  think  his  field  of  usefulness  would  be 
found. 

In  college,  James'  anti-slavery  sentiments  grew 
stronger,  if  possible.  Charles  Sumner  was  in  con- 
gress, dealing  heavy  blows  against  slavery,  assailing 
the  fugitive-slave  bill  with  great  power  and  effect, 
claiming  that  ''freedom  is  national,  and  slavery  sec- 
tional," denouncing  the  "crime  against  Kansas,"  and 
losing  no  opportunity  to  expose  fhe  guilt  and  horrors 
of  southern  bondage.  Outside  of  congress  he  made 
speeches,  urging  that  the  whig  party  should  attack  and 
overthrow  American  slavery.  James  admired  the 
fearless,  grand  public  career  of  Sumner,  and  also  des- 
pised the  criminal  support  the  democratic  party  gave 
to  slavery,  and  the  ^ruckling,  timid,  compromising 
course  of  the  leaders  of  the  whig  party.  Then,  in  the 
fall  of  1855,  John  Z.  Goodrich,  who  was  a  member  of 
congress  from  western  Massachusetts,  delivered  a 
political  address  in  Williamstown  upon  the  history  of 
the  Kansas-Nebraska  struggle,  and  the  efforts  of  the 
handful  of  republicans  then  in  congress  to  defeat  the 
Missouri  compromise.  James  was  profoundly  im- 
pressed by  the  facts  and  logic  of  that  speech,  and  he 
said  to  a  classmate,  on  leaving  the  hall,  — 


326  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

•'This  subject  is  new  to  me;  I  am  going  to  know 
all  about  it." 

He  sent  for  documents,  studied  them  thoroughly, 
and  was  fully  prepared  to  join  the  new  republican 
party,  and  also  to  support  John  C.  Fremont  for  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  The  students  called  a 
meeting  in  support  of  Fremont,  and  James  was  invited 
to  address  them.  The  scope  and  power  of  his  speech, 
packed  with  facts  and  history,  showed  that  he  had 
canvassed  the  subject  with  his  accustomed  ability ; 
and  even  his  classmates,  who  knew  him  so  well,  were 
surprised. 

**  The  country  will  hear  from  him  yet,  and  slavery 
will  get  some  hard  knocks  from  him,"  remarked  a 
classmate. 

Just  afterwards  the  country  was  thrown  into  the 
greatest  excitement  by  the  cowardly  attack  of  Preston 
Brooks,  of  South  Carolina,  upon  Charles  Sumner. 
Enraged  by  his  attacks  upon  slavery,  and  urged  for- 
ward, no  doubt,  by  southern  ruffians.  Brooks  attacked 
him  with  a  heavy  cane,  while  Sumner  was  writing  at 
his  desk  in  the  United  States  senate.  Brooks  intended 
to  kill  him  on  the  spot,  and  his  villainous  purpose  was 
nearly  accomplished. 

On  receipt  of  the  news  at  Williams  College,  the 
students  called  an  indignation  meeting,  at  which 
James,  boiling  over  with  indignant  remonstrance 
against  such  an  outrage,  delivered  the  most  telling  and 
powerful  speech  that  had  fallen  from  his  lips  up  to 
that  time.  His  fellow-students  listened  with  wonder 
and  admiration.  They  were  so  completely  charmed 
by  his  fervor  and  eloquence  that  they  sat  in  breathless 


IN  COLLEGE.  327 


attention  until  he  closed,  when  their  loud  applause 
rang  through  the  building,  repeated  again  and  again 
in  the  wildest  enthusiasm. 

**  The  uncompromising  foe  to  slavery!"  exclaimed 
one  of  his  admirers. 

"■  Old  Williams  will  be  prouder  cf  her  student  than 
she  is  to-day,  even,"  remarked  another. 

And  many  were  the  words  of  surprise  and  gratifica- 
tion expressed,  and  many  the  prophecies  concerning 
the  future  renown  of  young  Garfield. 

We  said  that  James  rejected  fiction  from  his  reading, 
on  principle.  When  about  half  through  his  college 
course  he  found  that  his  mind  was  suffering  from 
excess  of  solid  food.  Mental  dyspepsia  was  the  con- 
sequence. His  mii>d  was  not  assimilating  what  he 
read,  and  was  losing  its  power  of  application.  He  was 
advised  to  read  fiction  moderately.  *'  Romance  is  as 
valuable  a  part  of  intellectual  food  as  salad  of  a  dinner. 
In  its  place,  its  discipline  to  the  mind  is  equal  to  that 
of  science  in  its  place."  He  finally  accepted  the  theory, 
read  one  volume  of  fiction  each  month,  and  soon  found 
his  mind  returning  to  its  former  elasticity.  Some  of 
the  works  of  Walter  Scott,  Cooper,  Dickens,  and 
Thackeray,  not  to  mention  others,  became  the  cure  of 
his  mental  malady.  His  method  of  taking  notes  in  read- 
ing was  systematically  continued  in  college.  Historical 
references,  mythological  allusions,  technical  terms,  and 
other  things,  not  well  understood  at  the  time,  were 
noted,  and  afterwards  looked  up  in  the  library,  so  that 
nothing  should  remain  doubtful  or  obscure  in  his  mind. 
"The  ground  his  mind  traversed  he  carefully  cleared 
and  ploughed  before  leaving  it  for  fresh  fields." 


32S  LOG-CABI.\   TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

James  graduated  in  1856,  bearing  off  the  honors 
of  his  class.  Dr.  Hopkins  had  established  the  "meta- 
physical oration"  as  the  highest  honor  at  commence- 
ment, and  James  won  it,  by  the  universal  consent  of 
the  faculty  and  students.  In  the  performance  of  his 
part  at  commencement,  he  fully  sustained  his  well- 
earned  reputation  for  scholarship  and  eloquence. 
Both  teachers  and  classmates  fully  expected,  when  he 
left  college,  that  his  name  would  appear  conspicuously 
in  the  future  history  of  his  country. 

Dr.  Hopkins  wrote  of  him,  eight  years  after  James 
graduated  : 

"  The  course  of  General  Garfield  has  been  oAe 
which  the  young  men  of  the  country  may  well  emu- 
late. ...  A  rise  so  rapid  in  both  civil  and 
military  life  is,  perhaps,  without  example  in  the 
country.  .  .  .  Obtaining  his  education  almost 
wholly  by  his  own  exertions,  and  having  reached  the 
age  when  he  could  fully  appreciate  the  highest  studies, 
General  Garfield  gave  himself  to  study  with  a  zest 
and  delight  wholly  unknown  to  those  who  find  in  it  a 
routine.  A  religious  man  and  a  man  of  principle,  he 
pursued,  of  his  own  accord,  the  ends  proposed  by  the 
institution.  He  was  prompt,  frank,  manly,  social,  in 
his  tendencies  ;  combining  active  exercise  with  habits 
of  study,  and  thus  did  for  himself  what  it  is  the  object 
of  a  college  to  enable  every  young  man  to  do,  —  he 
made  himself  a  man.  There  never  was  a  time  when 
we  more  needed  those  who  would  follow  his  example." 

Mr.  Chadbourne,  who  is  now  president  of  Wil- 
liams College,  and  who  was  professor  when  James 
was  a  student,  writes  : 


IN  COLLEGE.  329 


"He  graduated  in  1856,  soon  after  I  began  my 
work  here  as  professor.  The  students  who  came 
under  my  instruction  then  made  a  much  stronger 
impression  upon  me  thaii  those  of  a  later  day,  since 
my  attention  has  been  called  to  other  interests  than 
those  of  the  lecture-room.  But  Garfield,  as  a  stu- 
dent, was  one  who  would  at  any  time  impress  iiimself 
upon  the  memory  of  his  instructors,  by  his  manliness 
and  excellence  of  character.  He  was  one  whom  his 
teachers  would  never  suspect  as  guilty  of  a  dishonest 
or  mean  act,  and  one  whom  a  dishonest  or  mean  man 
would  not  approach.  College  life  is,  in  some  respects, 
a  severe  test  of  character.  False  notions  of  honor 
often  prevail  among  students,  so  that,  under  sanction 
of  "college  customs,"  things  are  sometimes  done  by 
young  men  which  they  would  scorn  to  do  in  other 
places.  There  was  manliness  and  honesty  about 
Garfield  that  gave  him  power  to  see  and  do  what  was 
for  his  own  good,  and  the  honor  of  the  college.  His 
life  as  a  student  was  pure  and  noble.  His  moral  and 
religious  character,  and  marked  intellectual  ability, 
gave  great  promise  of  success  in  the  world.  His 
course  since  he  entered  active  life  has  seemed  to 
move  on  in  the  same  line  in  which  he  moved  here. 
He  has  been  distinguished  for  hard  work,  clear  insight 
into  great  questions  of  public  interest,  strong  con- 
victions, and  manly  courage.  I  know  of  no  better 
example  among  our  public  men  of  success  fairly  won." 


CHAPTER   XXII. 
RETURN   TO    HIRAM. 

|HE  trustees  of  Hiram  Institute  elected  Gar- 
field "Teacher  of  Ancient  Languages  and 
Literature  "  before  his  return  to  the  school. 
His  welcome  back  was  a  hearty  one.     His 
acceptance  of  the  position  was  equally  hearty. 

His  position  was  now  a  high  and  honorable  one, 
although  he  was  but  nine  years  removed  from  the 
tow-path  of  the  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  Canal.  Into 
that  nine  years  were  crowded  labors,  struggles,  and 
triumphs,  the  like  of  which  we  can  scarcely  find  in 
the  annals  of  human  effort. 

"  I  have  attained  to  the  height  of  my  ambition,"  he 
said  to  a  friend.  "  I  have  my  diploma  from  an  eastern 
college,  and  my  position  here  as  instructor ;  and  now 
I  shall  devote  all  my  energies  to  this  Institute." 

He  had  no  intention  of  entering  the  ministry  per- 
manently, as  many  supposed,  nor  had  he  aspirations 
for  a  political  career.  He  was  content  to  be  a  teacher 
at  Hiram,  ambitious  to  make  the  school  the  pet  of  the 
Western  Reserve,  if  possible.  He  might  have  secured 
positions  where  double  the  salary  was  paid  ;  but  he 
was  satisfied  to  teach  at  Hiram  for  eight  hundred  dol- 
330 


RETURN   TO  HIRAM.  33 1 


lars  a  year.  No  board  of  trustees  could  lure  him 
away  by  the  offer  of  a  princely  income.  His  heart 
was  at  Hiram,  and  he  meant  that  his  best  efforts 
should  be  there. 

He  brought  from  Williams  College  a  profound  rev- 
erence for  Dr.  Hopkins,  the  president,  as  an  instruc- 
tor and  scholar  of  great  ability.  He  profited  by  the 
lessons  he  learned  at  his  feet,  and  augmented  the  value 
of  his  own  labors  by  imitating  him  as  far  as  practi- 
cable. He  was  not  long  in  convincing  the  board  that, 
successful  as  be  was  in  teaching  before  entering  Wil- 
liams College,  his  ability  in  that  sphere  was  largely  in- 
creased by  his  collegiate  course.  At  the  end  of  the 
first  year  he  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  Institution, 
with  the  title,  "Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Instructors," 
and,  one  year  later,  was  made  Principal.  In  eleven 
years  from  the  time  he  left  the  tow-path  of  the  canal 
he  was  installed  Principal  of  the  "  Eclectic  Institute  of 
the  Western  Reserve,"  where  three  hundred  young 
ladies  and  gentlemen  were  pursuing  a  course  of  edu- 
cation. 

One  of  his  successful  points,  as  instructor,  was  to 
discover  young  men  of  superior  talents,  and  persuade 
them  to  acquire  a  liberal  education.  Sometimes  their 
fathers  would  put  a  veto  upon  such  a  project,  when 
he  was  forced  to  try  his  logic  and  persuasive  powers 
upon  them.  He  called  this  *'  capturing  boys,"  and  he 
enjoyed  it  hugely.  There  are  many  bright  intellects 
now  adorning  the  learned  professions  of  the  country 
that  would  have  been  unknown  to  fame  but  for  his 
persistent  efforts  in  "  capturing "  them.  President 
Hinsdale,  who  now  presides  over  Hiram  College,  was 


332  LOG-CAB IX   TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

one  of  them, — one  of  the  ablest  and  most  remarkable 
scholars  of  the  land.  Garfield  tells  the  story  of  the 
capture  of  two  boys  as  follows  : 

*'  I  have  taken  more  solid  comfort  in  the  thing  itself, 
and  received  more  moral  recompense  and  stimulus  in 
after  life,  from  capturing  young  men  for  an  education 
than  from  anything  else  in  the  world. 

**  As  I  look  back  over  my  life  thus  far,  I  think  of 
nothing  that  so  fills  me  with  pleasure  as  the  planning 
of  these  sieges,  the  revolving  in  my  mind  of  plans  for 
scaling  the  walls  of  the  fortress  ;  of  gaining  access  to 
the  inner  soul-life,  and  at  last  seeing  the  besieged 
party  won  to  a  fuller  appreciation  of  himself,  to  a 
higher  conception  of  life,  and  of  the  part  he  is  to  bear 
in  it.  The  principal  guards  which  I  have  found  it 
necessary  to  overcome  in  gaining  these  victories  are 
the  parents  or  guardians  of  the  young  men  them- 
selves. I  particularly  remember  two  such  instances 
of  capturing  young  men  from  their  parents.  Both 
of  those  boys  are  to-day  educators,  of  wide  reputation, 
—  one  president  of  a  college,  the  other  high  in  the 
ranks  of  graded-school  managers.  Neither,  in  my 
opinion,  would  to-day  have  been  above  the  commonest 
walks  of  life  unless  I,  or  some  one  else,  had  captured 
him.  There  is  a  period  in  every  young  man's  life 
when  a  very  small  thing  will  turn  him  one  way  or  the 
the  other.  He  is  distrustful  of  himself,  and  uncertain 
as  to  what  he  should  do.  His  parents  are  poor,  per- 
haps, and  argue  that  he  has  more  education  than  they 
ever  obtained,  and  that  it  is  enough.  These  parents 
are  sometimes  a  little  too  anxious  in  regard  to  what 
their  boys  are  going  to  do  when  they  get  through  with 


RETURN  TO  HIRAM.  333 

their  college  course.  They  talk  to  the  young  man 
too  much,  and  I  have  noticed  that  the  boy  who  will 
make  the  best  man  is  sometimes  most  ready  to  doubt 
himself.  I  always  rem.ember  the  turning  period  in 
my  own  life,  and  pity  a  young  man  at  this  stage  from 
the  bottom  of  my  heart.  One  of  the  young  men  I 
refer  to  came  to  me  on  the  closing  day  of  the  spring 
term,  and  bade  me  good-by  at  my  study.  I  noticed 
that  he  awkwardly  lingered  after  I  expected  him  to 
gOj  and  had  turned  to  my  writing  again.  *  I  suppose 
you  will  be  back  again  in  the  fall,  Henry  } '  I  said,  to 
fill  in  the  vacuum.  He  did  not  answer,  and  turning 
towards  him,  I  noticed  that  his  eyes  were  filled  with 
tears,  and  that  his  countenance  was  undergoing  con- 
tortions of  pain. 

"  He  at  length  managed  to  stammer  out,  *  No,  I  am 
not  coming  back  to  Hiram  any  more.  Father  says  I 
have  got  education  enough,  and  that  he  needs  me  to 
work  on  the  farm  ;  that  education  don't  help  along  a 
farmer  any.' 

"  *  Is  your  father  here  ? '  I  asked,  almost  as  much 
affected  by  the  statement  as  the  boy  himself.  He 
was  a  peculiarly  bright  boy,  one  of  those  strong,  awk- 
ward, bashful,  blonde,  large-headed  fellows,  such  as 
make  men.  He  was  not  a  prodigy,  by  any  means ; 
but  he  knew  what  work  meant,  and  when  he  had  won 
a  thing  by  true  endeavor,  he  knew  its  value." 

"  *  Yes,  father  is  here,  and  is  taking  my  things 
home  for  good,'  said  the  boy,  more  affected  than  ever. 

'' '  Well,  don't  feel  badly,'  I  said.  *  Please  tell  him 
Mr.  Garfield  would  like  to  see  him  at  his  study,  be- 
fore  he   leaves   the  village.     Don't  tell   him  that  it 


334  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

is  about  you,  but  simply  that  I  want  to  see  him.*  In 
the  course  of  half  an  hour  the  old  gentleman,  a  ro- 
bust specimen  of  a  Western  Reserve  Yankee,  came 
into  the  room,  and  awkwardly  ^at  down.  I  knew 
something  of  the  man  before,  and  I  thought  I  knew 
how  to  begin.  I  shot  right  at  the  bull's  eye  imme- 
diately. 

"  '  So  you  have  come  up  to  take  Henry  home  with 
you,  have  you  1 '  The  old  gentleman  answered, '  Yes.' 
'I  sent  fo:-  you  because  I  wanted  to  have  a  little  talk 
with  you  about  Henry's  future.  He  is  coming  back 
again  in  the  fall,  I  hope } ' 

" '  Wal,  I  think  not.  I  don't  reckon  I  can  afford  to 
send  him  any  more.  He's  got  eddication  enough  for 
a  farmer  already,  and  I  notice  that  when  they  git  too 
much  they  sorter  git  lazy.  Yer  eddicated  farmers  are 
humbugs.  Henry's  got  so  far  'long  now  that  he'd 
rather  hev  his  head  in  a  book  than  be  workin'.  He 
don't  take  no  interest  in  the  stock  nor  in  the  farm  im- 
provements. Everybody  else  is  dependent  in  this 
world  on  the  farmer,  and  I  think  that  we've  got  too 
many  eddicated  fellows  setting  around  now  for  the 
farmers  to  support.* 

"'I  am  sorry  to  hear  you  talk  so,'  I  said:  'for 
really  I  consider  Henry  one  of  the  brightest  and  most 
faithful  students  I  have  ever  had.  I  have  taken  a 
very  deep  interest  in  him.  What  I  wanted  to  say  to 
you  was,  that  the  matter  of  educating  him  has  largely 
been  a  constant  outgo  thus  far,  but  if  he  is  permitted 
to  come  next  fall  term,  he  will  be  far  enough  advanced 
so  that  he  can  teach  school  in  the  winter,  and  begin 
to  help  himself   and  you  along.     He  can  earn  very 


RETURN   TO  HIRAM.  335 

little  on  the  farm  in  the  winter,  and  he  can  get  very 
good  wages  teaching.      How  does  that  strike  you?' 

"The  idea  was  a  new  and  good  one  to  him.  He 
simply  remarked,  *Do  you  really  think  he  can  teach 
next  winter  } ' 

"M  should  think  so,  certainly,'  I  replied.  'But  if 
he  cannot  do  so  then,  he  can  in  a  short  time,  anyhow.' 

" '  Wal,  I  will  think  on  it.  He  wants  to  come  back 
bad  enough,  and  I  guess  I'll  have  to  let  him.  I  never 
thought  of  it  that  way  afore.' 

•*  I  knew  I  was  safe.  It  was  the  financial  question 
that  troubled  the  old  gentleman,  and  I  knew  that 
would  be  overcome  when  Henry  got  to  teaching,  and 
could  earn  his  money  himself.  He  would  then  be  so 
far  along,  too,  that  he  could  fight  his  own  battles. 
He  came  all  right  the  next  fall,  and,  after  finishing  at 
Hiram,  graduated  at  an  Eastern  college." 

"  Well,  how  did  you  manage  the  campaign  for 
capturing  the  other  young  man  t "  Garfield  was 
asked. 

"  Well,  that  was  a  different  case.  I  knew  that  this 
youth  was  going  to  leave  mainly  for  financial  reasons 
also,  but  I  understood  his  father  well  enough  to  know 
that  the  matter  must  be  managed  with  exceeding 
delicacy.  He  was  a  man  of  very  strong  religious 
convictions,  and  I  thought  he  might  be  approached 
from  that  side  of  his  character ;  so  when  I  got  the 
letter  of  the  son,  telling  me,  in  the  saddest  language 
that  he  could  master,  that  he  could  not  come  back  to 
school  any  more,  but  must  be  content  to  be  simply  a 
farmer,  much  as  it  was  against  his  inclination,  I 
revolved  the  matter  in  my  mind,  and  decided  to  send 


33^  LOG-CABIX   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

an  appointment  to  preach  in  the  little  country  church 
where  the  old  gentleman  attended.  I  took  for  a  sub- 
ject the  parable  of  the  talents,  and  in  the  course  of 
my  discourse  dwelt  specially  upon  the  fact  that  chil- 
dren were  the  talents  which  had  been  intrusted  to 
parents,  and  if  these  talents  were  not  increased  and 
developed  there  was  a  fearful  trust  neglected.  After 
church  I  called  upon  the  parents  of  the  boy  I  was 
besieging,  and  I  saw  that  something  was  weighing 
upon  their  minds.  At  length  the  subject  of  the  dis- 
course was  taken  up  and  gone  over  again,  and  in  due 
course  the  young  man  himself  was  discussed,  and  I 
gave  my  opinion  that  he  should  by  all  means  be 
encouraged  and  assisted  in  taking  a  thorough  course 
of  study.  I  gave  my  opinion  that  there  was  nothing 
more  important  to  the  parent  than  to  do  all  in  his 
power  for  the  child.  The  next  term  the  young  man 
again  appeared  upon  Hiram  Hill,  and  remained  pretty 
continuously  till  graduation." 

He  was  wonderfully  magnetic.  He  never  failed  to 
win  students  to  himself.  President  Hinsdale  says  of 
him  : 

**  Naturally,  Garfield,  the  teacher,  drew  his  pupils 
to  himself  with  extraordinary  power.  Never  have  I 
seen  such  devotion  to  another  teacher.  An  old 
Hiram  student,  now  holding  a  responsible  office  in  the 
public  schools  of  Cleveland,  speaking  of  the  old 
times  before  Garfield  went  to  college,  says  in  a  pri- 
vate letter  :  'Then  began  to  grow  up  in  me  an  admira- 
tion and  love  for  Garfield  that  has  never  abated,  and 
the  like  of  which  I  have  never  known.  A  bow  of 
recognition  or  a  single  word  from  him  was  to  me  an 


RETURN  TO  HIRAM.  33/ 

inspiration.'  And  such  would  be  the  general  testi- 
mony. In  all  this  there  was  method  ;  not  the  method 
of  crafty  art,  as  the  cynical  might  say,  but  the  method 
of  nature,  the  method  of  a  great  mind  and  noble 
heart.  I  take  my  leave  of  this  Hiram  teacher  with 
affirming  my  conviction  that,  other  things  being 
equal,  Garfield  has  never  been  greater  than  he  was  in 
Hiram  from  1857  to  1861.  He  left  the  quiet  of  the 
academy  for  the  roar  of  the  field  and  the  forum  at  the 
age  of  thirty,  but  not  until  he  had  demonstrated  his 
fitness  for  the  highest  educational  work  and  honors." 

The  following  facts  and  incidents  will  illustrate 
some  of  his  methods  and  qualities  as  a  teacher. 

One  day  a  pupil  made  a  sad  failure  in  the  class,  at 
least  on  a  portion  of  the  lesson,  when  Garfield 
roguishly  pointed  to  a  soiled  place  in  one  corner  of  the 
recitation-room,  where  the  water  had  trickled  through 
the  plastering,  and  run  down  upon  the  wall. 

"Look  there,"  he  said,  laughing  at  the  same  time, 
and  eliciting  a  smile  from  each  member  of  the  class. 
That  was  all  he  said ;  but  the  rebuke  was  keen  and 
sharp,  coming  in  that  way  from  him.  Such  was  his 
usual  method.  Occasionally,  however,  when  he  per- 
ceived a  really  rebellious  spirit  that  meant  mischief, 
he  was  severe  and  withering  in  his  method  of  treat- 
ment. 

He  assigned  a  certain  task  to  a  student  at  one  time, 
when  the  latter  said  : 

*'  I  doubt  whether  I  can  do  it.  I  do  not  think  I  am 
equal  to  it." 

*'  Not  equal  to  it .?  " 

"No,  sir." 


33S  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE   HOUSE. 

"  Darsie  !  "  answered  Garfield  ;  "  when  I  get  into 
a  place  that  I  can  easily  fill,  I  always  feel  like  shov- 
ing out  of  it  into  one  that  requires  of  me  more  exer- 
tion." 

In  this  single  sentence  was  one  of  the  secrets  of  his 
success ;  and  Darsie  saw  it  at  once.  Garfield  had 
risen  rapidly  by  setting  his  standard  high,  and,  bring- 
ing himself  up  to  it. 

Akin  to  this,  he  said  to  the  students,  on  one  occa- 
sion, — 

"  I  shall  give  you  a  series  of  lectures  upon  history, 
beginning  next  week.  I  do  this  not  alone  to  assist 
you ;  the  preparation  for  the  lectures  will  compel  me 
to  study  history." 

It  was  not  the  mere  announcement  that  was  inter- 
esting ;  it  was  a  method  of  his  to  show  his  pupils  the 
best  plan  of  study.  He  could  do  more  and  better  work 
under  a  necessity  than  otherwise  ;  and  so  can  every 
one.  It  w^as  his  custom  to  lecture  on  the  topics  he 
desired  to  study  particularly,  that  he  might  derive  the 
benefit  of  a  two-fold  object.  He  wanted  his  pupils  to 
appreciate  the  advantage  of  it. 

"  How  in  the  world  can  he  time  his  steps  so  as  to 
take  the  last  one  just  as  the  bell  stops.?"  remarked 
a  student,  referring  to  his  coming  into  the  chapel- 
exercises  and  taking  his  seat  precisely  as  the  bell- 
ceased. 

"Hard  telling,"  replied  Darsie;  "but  he  is  always 
on  the  stairs  in  the  last  half  of  the  last  minute,  and 
glides  into  his  seat  just  as  the  last  tap  of  the  bell  is 
struck."  The  last  stroke  of  the  bell  was  indicated  by 
a  little  more  vigorous  pull  of  the  rope. 


RETURN   TO  HIRAM.  339 

"And  what  seems  marvellous  to  me  is,  that  he 
never  fails.  I  couldn't  time  my  steps  like  that,"  added 
the  student. 

Garfield  insisted  upon  ptmcUiality  everywhere,  — 
at  prayers,  recitation,  lectures,  all  engagements.  He 
demanded  promptness  as  an  essential  duty.  He  made 
his  pupils  feel  the  importance  of  these  qualities.  But 
he  would  not  require  of  them  what  he  did  not  practise 
himself.  He  was  the  last  man  to  preach  what  he  did 
not  practise.  So  he  illustrated  every  day,  by  personal 
exam.ple,  the  lessons  which  he  taught  respecting  these 
virtues. 

Returning  from  a  neighboring  town  one  morning, 
where  he  lectured  on  the  previous  evening,  he  entered 
his  recitation  room  late.  Another  teacher,  supposing 
he  would  not  return  in  season  to  hear  the  recitation, 
had  taken  his  class.  As  he  entered,  a  pupil  was 
answering  a  question.  While  in  the  act  of  removing 
his  overcoat,  and  precisely  as  the  pupil's  answer  ceased, 
Garfield  put  another  question  in  the  same  line,  as  if 
the  previous  question  were  put  by  himself.  He  smiled, 
the  teacher  laughed  and  bowed  himself  out  of  the  room, 
and  the  class  roared.  It  was  a  happy  termination  of  a 
single  act  of  tardiness. 

He  was  accustomed  to  lecture  to  his  pupils  upon 
"  manners,"  "  elements  of  success,"  and  kindred  topics. 
One  day  his  topic  was  the  **  Turning  Point  of  Life," 
in  which  he  said, 

"  The  comb  of  the  roof  at  the  court-house  at  Ra- 
venna (capital  of  Portage  county,  of  which  Hiram  was 
a  town)  divides  the  drops  of  rain,  sending  those  that 
fall  on  the  south  side  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  those 


340  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

on  the  opposite  side  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  so 
that  a  mere  breath  of  air,  or  the  flutter  of  a  bird's 
wing,  may  determine  their  destiny.  It  is  so  with  your 
lives,  my  young  friends.  A  passing  event,  perhaps  of 
trifling  importance  in  your  view,  the  choice  of  a  book 
or  a  companion,  a  stirring  thought,  a  right  resolve,  the 
associations  of  an  hour,  may  prove  the  turning  point 
of  your  lives." 

During  his  connection  with  the  school  as  principal 
his  lectures  were  numerous.  He  lectured  upon  the 
natural  sciences,  reading,  books,  government,  and 
occasional  "topics  of  the  times."  He  delivered  many 
lectures  in  Portage  county,  and  in  neighboring  coun- 
ties, before  literary  societies  ;  lectures  upon  geology, 
illustrated  by  charts  of  his  own  making,  '*  Character 
and  Writings  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,"  "Character  of  the 
German  People,"  and  "  Carlyle's  Frederic  the  Great." 
He  was  the  most  popular  lecturer  in  Ohio.  Crossing 
swords  with  William  Denton,  the  skeptic,  brought  him 
into  great  notoriety.  He  held  a  debate  with  Denton 
on  the  question  of  "  Whether  all  life  upon  the  earth 
was  developed  by  processes  of  law,  or  had  been  intro- 
duced by  successive  creative  acts."  Denton  held  the 
development  theory ;  Garfield  that  of  intelligent,  prov- 
idential action.  The  discussion  lasted  five  days  and 
evenings,  embraced  twenty  speeches  on  the  part  of 
each  of  the  disputants,  and  was  remarkable  as  a  sus- 
tained and  severe  intellectual  effort.  It  won  laurels 
for  Garfield  as  a  debater  and  a  man  of  giant  intellect. 

Says  Rev.  J.  L.  Darsie,  who  was  one  of  his  pupils, 
"  His  lectures  to  the  school  were  upon  all  sorts  of  sub- 
jects, and  were  generally  the  result  of  his  readings  and 


RETURiX   TO   HIRAM,  341 


observation.  One  season  he  took  a  trip,  and,  on 
his  return,  gave  a  very  interesting  series  on  **  The 
Chain  of  Lakes,"  inckiding  Niagara,  Thousand  Islands 
and  sub-historic  points.  One  lecture  on  aerolites  I 
shall  never  forget.  He  gave  several  upon  Ordnance, 
about  the  time  of  the  attack  upon  Fort  Sumter. 
-Esthetics  came  in  for  a  share  of  treatment,  with  others 
on  the  personal  habits  of  the  students  ;  and  they  were 
very  effective.  He  lectured  upon  any  and  every 
scientific  subject." 

A  large  number  of  students  were  always  in  attend- 
ance, who  paid  their  way  along  by  teaching  school  in 
the  winter.  To  these  he  gave  lectures  on  the  art  of 
teaching.  Mr.  Darsie  says:  "At  each  lecture  he 
appointed  one  or  two  pupils  to  bring  in  a  review  of  the 
lecture  in  writing,  on  a  succeeding  morning,  and  these 
reviews  were  read  to  the  school.  I  now  recall  one  of 
the  most  successful  journalists  of  our  land,  who  began 
his  training  here.  In  all  he  said  or  did,  Garfield  had 
the  remarkable  power  of  impressing  himself  and  his 
thoughts  upon  his  hearers,  by  his  manners,  gestures, 
tone  of  voice,  and  the  freshness  of  his  style.  It  was 
customary  to  act  plays  on  commencement  occasions, 
and  the  drama,  in  its  more  moral  and  high-toned  phases, 
was  encouraged.  Often  the  play  was  original,  and 
always  subject  to  the  strictures  of  the  faculty,  as  were 
all  the  public  performances.  Garfield,  when  a  student, 
was  one  of  the  most  successful  in  delineating  character. 
He  could  impersonate  almost  any  character,  and  was 
amazingly  successful  in  this  role." 

He  delivered  also  many  extemporaneous  speeches 
on  social  and  literary  occasions,  and  even  in  political 


342  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

campaigns.  He  studied  law,  also,  while  he  was  teacher 
at  Hiram,  doing  it  by  the  improvement  of  odd  moments, 
and  by  burning  midnight-oil.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  before  he  exchanged  the  quiet  of  teaching  for  the 
roar  of  battle.  He  studied  law,  "  not  so  much,  with  the 
intention  of  becoming  a  lawyer  as  to  acquaint  himself 
with  the  principles  of  law.  He  had  no  idea  of  abandon- 
ing his  chosen  profession  to  spend  his  energies  in  law- 
practice,  but  the  principles  of  law  were  needed  to 
round  his  knowledge,  and  increase  his  power." 

As  a  Christian  man,  his  influence  was  grand  and 
ennobling,  and  his  labors  as  a  preacher  are  to  be  added 
to  the  mass  of  his  other  labors.  He  often  preached 
in  the  Disciples'  church  at  Hiram,  and  at  one  time  he 
preached  regularly  at  Solon  and  Newburg,  whither 
he  went  on  Saturday  night,  returning  on  Monday 
morning.  He  preached  more  or  less  throughout  the 
county.  Preaching  and  lecturing  in  other  towns, 
near  and  remote,  spread  a  knowledge  of  the  school, 
and  made  it  popular.  He  required  his  pupils  to 
observe  the  highest  standard  of  moral  conduct,  and 
his  counsel  here  was  frequent  and  direct.  His  favorite 
hymn  at  chapel-service  was,  "  Ho  !  reapers  of  Life's 
Harvest,"  etc.,  and  he  joined  in  the  singing  with  a 
will.  He  often  requested  the  students  to  sing  this 
hymn  at  morning  devotions,  allowing  them  to  sit 
until  they  came  to  the  last  verse,  when  he  would  rap 
upon  the  desk  with  his  knuckles,  and  the  school 
would  rise  and  sing  the  last  verse  standing. 

He  married  Miss  Rudolph,  the  lady  to  whom  he 
was  engaged  before  entering  college,  on  November 
II,    1858.       Her   efficient    co-operation    enabled    him 


-tr_     rt- 


^ 


/^^^< 


-(^■^^^ 


RETURN  TO  HIRAM.  343 


to  accomplish  so  large  an  amount  of  labor.  Often  in 
the  preparation  of  a  lecture  or  speech,  his  wife  and 
Miss  Booth  would  explore  the  library  for  him,  or  ex- 
amine certain  books  which  he  designated.  The  num- 
ber of  books  that  he  perused  in  a  year  was  almost 
incredible.  Going  from  the  library  with  his  arms  full 
of  volumes  was  a  common  spectacle.  Mr.  Darsie  has 
seen  him  on  his  way  to  the  library,  in  the  rain,  return- 
ing ten  or  twelve  volumes,  a  student  walking  by  his 
side,  holding  an  umbrella  over  his  head.  Some  books 
awakened  his  enthusiasm  ;  he  read  them  more  than 
once.  Such  books  as  "  Tom  Brown's  School  Days  " 
won  his  admiration.  He  told  his  pupils  that  every  one 
of  them  ought  to  read  the  work  carefully.  Macau- 
lay's  writings,  and  Mill's,  and  works  of  kindred  ability 
and  value,  he  particularly  enjoyed  and  recommended. 

In  those  days.  Commencement  exercises  brought 
together  from  five  to  ten  thousand  people.  They 
came  from  fifty  miles  around.  A  large  tent  was 
pitched  over  a  stage,  on  which  the  literary  exercises 
were  performed.  Booths  for  refreshments  were  erected 
here  and  there,  and  often  showmen  would  appear  upon 
the  ground.  Roughs  and  intoxicated  persons  some- 
times appeared  in  large  numbers,  causing  disturbance, 
and  sadly  marring  the  harmony  of  the  occasion.  But 
after  Garfield  became  principal  these  scenes  stopped. 
The  pointing  of  his  finger,  or  the  waving  of  his  hand, 
when  disturbance  broke  out  in  any  quarter,  quelled  it 
at  once.  Roughs  appeared  to  understand  that  his 
authority  could  not  be  trifled  with  on   such  occasions. 

We  shall  close  this  chapter  by  another  quotation 
from  Rev.  Mr.  Darsie : 


344  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  No  matter  how  old  the  pupils  were,  Garfield  al- 
ways called  us  by  our  first  names,  and  kept  himself 
on  the  most  familiar  terms  with  all.  He  played  with 
us  freely,  scuffled  with  us  sometimes,  walked  with  us 
in  walking  to  and  fro,  and  we  treated  him  out  of 
the  class  just  about  as  we  did  one  another.  Yet  he 
was  a  most  strict  disciplinarian,  and  enforced  the 
rules  like  a  martinet.  He  combined  an  affectionate 
and  confiding  manner  with  respect  for  order,  in  a 
most  successful  way.  If  he  wanted  to  speak  to  a 
pupil,  either  for  reproof  or  approbation,  he  would 
generally  manage  to  get  one  arm  around  him,  and 
draw  him  close  up  to  him.  He  had  a  peculiar  way  of 
shaking  hands,  too,  giving  a  twist  to  your  arm,  and 
drawing  you  right  up  to  him.  This  sympathetic 
manner  has  helped  him  to  advancement.  When  I 
was  janitor  he  used  sometimes  to  stop  me  and  ask  my 
opinion  about  this  and  that,  as  if  seriously  advising 
with  me.  I  can  see  now  that  my  opinion  could  not 
have  been  of  any  value,  and  that  he  probably  asked 
me,  partly  to  increase  my  self-respect  and  partly  to 
show  me  that  he  felt  an  interest  in  me.  I  certainly 
was  his  friend  all  the  firmer  for  it. 

"  I  remember  once  asking  him  what  was  the  best 
way  to  pursue  a  certain  study,  and  he  said,  *  Use 
several  text-books ;  get  the  views  of  different  authors 
as  you  advance  ;  in  that  way  you  can  plough  a  broader 
furrow.  I  always  study  in  that  way.*  He  tried  hard 
to  have  us  observe  carefully  and  accurately.  He  broke 
out  one  day  in  the  midst  of  a  lesson  with,  *  Henry, 
how  many  posts  are  there  under  the  building  down- 
stairs } '     Henry  expressed  his  opinion,  and  the  ques- 


RETURN   TO  HIRAM.  345 


tion  went  round  the  class,  hardly  one  getting  it  right. 
Then  it  was,  '  How  many  boot-scrapers  are  there  at 
the  door  ? '  *  How  many  windows  in  the  building  ? ' 
*  How  many  trees  in  the  field  ? '  *  What  were  the 
colors  of  particular  rooms,  and  the  peculiarities  of  any 
familiar  objects  ? '  He  was  the  keenest  observer  I 
ever  saw.  I  think  he  observed,  and  numbered,  every 
button  on  our  coats.  A  friend  of  mine  was  walking 
with  him  through  Cleveland,  one  day,  when  Garfield 
stopped  and  darted  down  a  cellar-way,  asking  his  com- 
panion to  follow,  and  briefly  stopping  to  explain  him- 
self. The  sign,  *  Saws  and  Files  '  was  over  the  door, 
and  in  the  depths  was  heard  a  regular  clicking  sound. 
*I  think  this  fellow  is  cutting  files,'  said  he,  *and  I 
have  never  seen  a  file  cut.'  Down  they  went,  and, 
sure  enough,  there  was  a  man  recutting  an  old  file, 
and  they  stayed  there  ten  minutes  and  found  out  all 
about  the  process.  Garfield  would  never  go  by  any- 
thing without  understanding  it." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
FROM    PEACE    TO  WAR. 


T  is  impossible  for  a  public  speaker  of 
Garfield's  power  to  keep  out  of  politics. 
In  political  campaigns  the  public  demand 
his  efforts ;  men  will  not  take  710  for  an 
answer.  It  was  so  with  Garfield.  He  was  impressed 
into  the  service  by  leading  citizens  of  his  county.  In 
the  autumn  after  his  return  to  Hiram,  before  he 
hardly  had  time  to  become  settled  in  his  great  work, 
his  efforts  on  the  platform  were  sought ;  and  the  new 
Republican  party,  on  the  anti-slavery  basis,  with  its 
first  candidate,  John  C.  Fremont,  a  man  of  Garfield's 
stamp  in  vigor,  courage,  and  force  of  character,  was 
exceedingly  taking  to  him.  Nobody  had  to  tease  him 
long  for  a  speech.  Often  he  went  in  the  evening  to 
make  a  speech,  five,  six,  ten  miles  distant,  returning 
after  the  address.  Usually  he  took  a  student  with 
him  for  company  and  improvement.  As  soon  as  they 
started  he  would  open  conversation,  seldom  upon  the 
subject  of  his  discourse,  but  upon  some  topic  of  real 
value  to  the  student.  Going  and  returning,  his  con- 
versation was  continued  without  the  least  abatement. 
Alphonso  Hart,  a  stalwart  Democrat  of  Ravenna, 
346 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  347 


delivered  a  speech  in  Hiram,  full  of  slavery  and 
Democratic  sophistries  and  errors.  Garfield  heard  it, 
with  many  Republican  citizens. 

"  Reply  to  it,  Mr.  Garfield,"  appealed  an  influential 
citizen  to  him.     *'  Floor  him." 

•'That   can   easily   be    done,"    Garfield   answered; 
"but  is  it  wise  .?  " 

"  It  is  always  wise  to  refute  error  and  wrong  any- 
where." 

''  I  confess  that  I  should  enjoy  handling  him  with- 
out gloves  for  an  hour." 

*'  Handle  him,  then,"  urged  the  citizen.     *'  It  will 
do  the  Republican  party  a  world  of  good." 

Other  citizens  put  in  their  pleas  for  him  to  answer 
Hart. 

"  You  are  just  the  one  to  do  it." 
*'  Everybody  wants  you  should  answer  him." 
'*  It  will  make  votes  for  Fremont." 
"Come,  now,  do  gratify  the  public  desire." 
In    this   way,    Garfield   was    beset   with    pleas   to 
answer   the    Democratic   orator ;   and    he    consented. 
The   meeting   was    in   the    Disciples   church,  and   it 
was  packed  to  its  utmost  capacity.     Garfield's  reply 
wa^  devoid  of  all  bitterness,  but  was  powerful  with 
logic  and  facts.     He  hauled  over  the  record  of  the 
Democratic    party,   with  its    endorsement    of    slavery 
with  all  its  horrors,  and  he  made  that  record  appear 
black  enough.     The  effort  was  both  able  and  trium- 
phant, and  the  fame  of  it  rapidly  spread  throughout 
the    county.       Appeals   for  more    speeches    came    in 
from  all  the  region  about,  and  finally  a  discussion  was 
arranged  between  Garfield  and  Hart,  to  take  place  at 


348  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Garrettsville  on  a  given  day.  Crowds  flocked  to  hear 
the  debate.  Garfield  was  in  his  element  on  that  day,  for 
he  had  posted  himself  thoroughly  upon  the  history  of 
the  Democratic  party,  and  the  aims  of  its  southern 
leaders  to  make  slavery  national.  His  antagonist  was 
completely  discomfited  in  the  discussion.  He  had 
counted  without  his  host.  He  was  floored.  Garfield's 
success  lifted  him  at  once  into  enviable  notoriety  as  a 
political  debater  and  orator,  and,  from  that  time, 
remarks  like  the  following  were  common : 

"  He  must  go  to  the  legislature." 

**  We  must  send  him  to  congress." 

"Just  the  man  to  follow  that  old  anti-slavery  war- 
horse,  Giddings." 

"You'll  see  him  President,  yet." 

And  so  the  enthusiastic  awakening  expended  itself, 
in  a  measure,  upon  Garfield's  supposed  future  career. 
One  year  later,  the  position  of  representative  to  the 
State  legislature  was  tendered  him. 

"  No  ;  my  work  is  here  in  the  Institute.  I  have  no 
ambition  to  enter  political  life.  I  must  decline  the 
proposition."  Garfield  thus  replied  out  of  an  honest 
heart 

Again  and  again  he  was  urged  to  accept  the  posi- 
tion, but  to  every  one  his  answer  was  the  same. 

"  My  work  is  here,  and  my  heart  is  here,  and  my 
DUTY  is  here."     No  appeals  could  move  him. 

In  1859,  ^^^  faculty  of  Williams  College  invited 
him  to  deliver  the  master's  oration  on  Commence- 
ment day.  It  was  a  rare  compliment  the  faculty  paid 
him  by  this  invitation,  for  it  was  but  three  years  after 
he  had  graduated.     Accepting  the  invitation,  and  pre- 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  349 

paring  himself  carefully  for  the  occasion,  he  left 
Hiram  for  Williamstown,  Massachusetts,  accompanied 
by  his  wife,  taking  the  first  pleasure-trip  of  his  life. 
He  descended  the  St.  Lawrence  river  to  Quebec,  and 
then  crossed  the  New  England  states  to  his  des- 
tination. A  warm  welcome  awaited  him  there.  Nor 
were  the  numerous  friends  who  gathered  disappointed 
in  the  orator  of  the  day.     His  praises  were  on  every 

lip. 

On  his  return,  when  he  had  reached  Mentor,  in  his 
own  state,  a  delegation  of  citizens  met  him  with  an 
unexpected  proposition. 

"  We  want  you  to  become  a  candidate  for  state 
senator." 

*'  Indeed  !  "  exclaimed  Garfield,  very  much  surprised 
by  the  proposition.  "  I  thought  Mr.  Prentiss  was  the 
man." 

"Mr.  Prentiss  has  just  died,  very  suddenly." 

Mr.  Prentiss  was  a  man  well  advanced  in  life,  a 
very  popular  citizen  of  Ravenna,  whose  re-election 
had  been  determined  upon.  But  his  sudden  death 
frustrated  their  plans  ;  and  now  all  hearts  turned  to 
the  young  principal  of  Hiram  Institute. 

"  You  are  the  first  choice  of  the  leading  Repub- 
licans of  the  district." 

*'  I  thank  you  sincerely  for  thinking  of  me,  and, 
really,  it  is  a  temptation  to  receive  this  offer ;  but  I 
do  not  see  how  I  can  consistently  consent." 

"  Your  name  will  enable  us  to  carry  the  district  for 
the  Republicans  easily,"  urged  another  one  of  the 
delegation.  "  I  hope  you  will  not  decline  without 
giving  the  subject  some  thought." 


350  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"  Yes,  but  my  thought  is  of  the  Institute.  How- 
can  I  accept  your  proposition  and  discharge  my 
duties  to  the  school  ?  " 

"  Your  duties  in  the  senate  will  keep  you  away  but 
a  few  weeks.  Suppose  you  take  the  subject  into  con- 
sideration, confer  with  the  faculty,  and  let  us  have 
your  decision  a  week  hence." 

The  last  speaker  knew  that  some  members  of  the 
faculty  and  board  of  trustees  were  anxious  that  he 
should  accept  the  nomination. 

To  this  last  suggestion  Garfield  yielded,  and  the 
matter  was  laid  before  the  faculty  and  trustees.  To 
his  surprise  all  of  them  urged  him  to  consent  to  the 
use  of  his  name.  Teachers  volunteered  to  do  extra 
work  in  his  absence,  and  all  were  willing  to  contribute 
service,  so  as  to  make  it  possible  for  him  to  go. 

Garfield  was  pressed  into  this  political  service,  and 
received  the  nomination.  He  was  present  by  request, 
at  the  nominating  convention,  and  while  the  business 
was  in  progress,  a  delegate  who  saw  the  youthful 
candidate  on  that  day  for  the  first  time,  remarked  to 
a  leading  Republican : 

"  Don't  you  make  a  mistake  in  putting  forward  so 
young  a  man  for  senator } " 

"  Only  young  in  years  ;  he  is  not  young  in  ability," 
was  the  prompt  reply. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that ;  unless  his  looks  belie 
him,  his  experience  in  public  life  must  be  rather 
limited." 

"  You  wait  and  see.  We  shall  hear  from  him  when 
this  business  is  through,  and  you  will  be  satisfied  that 
his  head  is  old,  though  his  body  is  young." 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  351 

After  nomination,  according  to  the  custom  that 
prevailed,  Garfield  accepted  it  in  a  characteristic 
speech.  The  delegate  who  doubted  the  wisdom  of 
the  nomination  immediately  said  to  the  Republican  to 
whom  his  doubts  were  expressed, 

"  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  ;  he  is  a  power." 

Garfield  was  elected  by  a  very  large  majority,  and 
took  his  seat  in  the  state  senate,  January,  i860.  It 
was  a  time  of  great  excitement.  The  south  was 
threatening  secession  and  civil  war,  if  a  Republican 
should  be  elected  president  in  the  approaching  cam- 
paign. The  north  was  fully  aroused  to  check  the  in- 
cursions of  slavery,  by  a  bold  and  victorious  advance. 
Garfield  was  just  the  man  to  occupy  a  seat  in  the 
state  senate  at  such  a  time,  though  he  was  the  young- 
est member  of  the  body.  There  was  another  able 
young  man  in  the  senate  with  him,  as  radical  as  him- 
self, Jacob  D.  Cox,  afterwards  major-general,  governor 
of  Ohio,  and  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  The  two 
roomed  together,  and  were  as  intimate  as  brothers. 
Some  of  the  members  called  them  "  Damon  and  Py- 
thias." There  was  still  another  young  man.  Professor 
Munroe  of  Oberlin  College,  an  institution  that  was 
founded  on  anti-slavery  principles,  and  whose  teachers 
were  as  one  with  Garfield  on  the  great  national  ques- 
tion that  overtopped  all  others  —  liberty.  Cox  him- 
self was  the  son-in-law  of  an  Oberlin  professor.  These 
three  senators  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  against  sla- 
very, and  were  called  the  "radical  triumvirate." 

Garfield  took  rank  at  once  with  the  ablest  speakers 
in  that  body.  President  Hinsdale  says,  *'  He  was  a 
valuable  man  on  committees  and   in   party  councils. 


352  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

No  senator  was  more  frequently  called  to  his  councils 
by  the  president  of  the  senate  when  knotty  points  of 
order  were  to  be  untied  or  cut." 

In  a  previous  chapter  we  learned  that  Garfield  vis- 
ited Columbus  with  his  mother,  and  saw  the  legisla- 
ture in  session.  Little  did  he  dream,  or  his  mother, 
that  in  less  than  ten  years  he  would  be  a  leading 
member  of  that  senate,  his  eloquence  ringing  through 
those  halls,  and  his  wise  counsels  and  patriotic  efforts 
preparing  the  state  to  oppose  rebellion  with  great 
power ;  yet  so  it  was.  One  of  the  most  marvellous 
examples  of  success  on  record  ! 

During  his  second  term  in  the  senate,  1861,  he  was 
confronted  by  the  gravest  questions  that  state  or 
nation  ever  had  to  deal  with.  Lincoln  had  been 
elected  president,  the  southern  states  were  preparing 
to  secede,  and  civil  war  was  imminent.  "  Shall  Ohio 
prepare  for  war  t  "  "  Has  a  state  the  right  to  secede  ?  " 
*'  Can  a  state  be  coerced  ?  "  **  Shall  we  punish  trea- 
son .-^  "  These  were  among  the  questions  the  young 
senator  was  compelled  to  discuss.  Almost  night  and 
day  he  labored  to  qualify  himself  to  discuss  them  in- 
telligently and  ably.  Njght  after  night,  until  eleven, 
twelve,  and  even  one  o'clock,  he  spent  in  the  state 
library,  studying  these  and  kindred  questions.  When- 
ever he  spoke  upon  them,  he  spoke  pointedly,  and 
with  great  power.  He  led  the  senate  in  its  patriotic 
stand  against  secession  and  compromise  with  slavery. 
He  denounced  Buchanan,  the  Democratic  president, 
who  was  favoring  the  secessionists,  and  characterized 
Cobb,  who  robbed  the  national  treasury,  and  Floyd, 
who  stole  the  arms  from  every  northern  arsenal,  and 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR,  353 

Toucey,  who  sent  the  ships  of  the  navy  as  far  away  as 
possible  —  all  members  of  the  Democratic  cabinet  — 
he  characterized  them  as  traitors  to  their  country. 
In  a  speech  that  blazed  with  fervid  eloquence,  he  told 
a  Democratic  senator,  Judge  Key,  of  Cincinnati,  "  to 
remember  whose  cabinet  it  was  that  had  embraced 
traitors  among  its  most  distinguished  members,  and 
sent  them  forth  from  its  most  secret  sessions  to  betray 
their  knowledge  to  their  country's  ruin  !  " 

When  congress  very  unwisely  proposed  a  "  Consti- 
tutional Amendment,"  prohibiting  further  legislation 
upon  slavery  in  the  states,  —  a  measure  designed  to 
placate  the  secessionists,  —  Garfield  denounced  it  in 
the  Ohio  senate  as  a  compromise  with  traitors,  an  un- 
patriotic and  base  surrender  to  the  slave  oligarchy. 
He  declared  that  his  arm  should  wither  in  its  socket 
before  it  should  be  lifted  in  favor  of  a  measure  that 
virtually  abandoned  liberty,  and  left  slavery  master 
of  the  situation.  "  The  events  now  transpiring  make 
it  clear  that  this  is  no  time  for  any  such  amendment," 
he  exclaimed.  **  Would  you  give  up  the  forts  and 
other  government  property,  or  would  you  fight  to 
maintain  your  right  to  them  } " 

When  the  vote  was  taken,  Garfield,  with  six  others, 
recorded  their  names  against  the  "base  surrender." 
He  opposed  the  meeting  of  the  famous  Washington 
Peace  Commissioners  until  after  the  inauguration  of 
Mr.  Lincoln ;  he  protested  against  all  such  "  peace 
measures  "  as  cowardly  and  futile,  preferring  himself 
to  stand  by  the  old  flag,  2JVi^  figJit  for  human  rights. 

Before  this,  he  was  satisfied  that  war  could  not  be 
averted.     Late  one  night  he  said  to  his  room-mate  : 


354  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

"Cox,  war  is  inevitable." 

"  That  is  sure  as  you  live,"  answered  Cox. 

"  You  and  I  must  fight." 

"  Or  prove  ourselves  cowards." 

"  Here,  then,  we  pledge  our  lives  to  our  country 
in  this  hour  of  peril."  And  they  clasped  hands  silent- 
ly, such  emotions  stirring  their  breasts  as  patriots 
only  feel  in  the  solemn  hour  of  danger. 

News  of  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter  was  followed 
immediately  by  a  call  from  President  Lincoln  for 
seventy-five  thousand  men.  The  call  was  read  in  the 
Ohio  senate,  crowded  with  patriotic  spectators,  whose 
tumultuous  applause  seconded  the  President's  demand. 
As  soon  as  the  deafening  cheers  had  subsided,  Garfield 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and  in  a  short  speech,  of  almost 
surpassing  eloquence  and  power,  moved,  — 

"  That  Ohio  contribute  twenty  thousand  men,  and 
three  million  dollars,  as  the  quota  of  the  state." 

The  motion  was  carried  amid  the  wildest  demon- 
strations of  devotion  to  the  country. 

Governor  Dennison,  of  Ohio,  sent  Garfield  to  Mis- 
souri to  obtain  five  thousand  stand  of  arms,  a  portion 
of  those  which  General  Lyon  removed  from  the 
arsenal  at  St.  Louis.  He  was  successful  in  his  mis- 
sion, shipped  the  guns,  and  saw  them  safely  delivered 
at  Columbus. 

After  the  fall  of  Sumter,  Governor  Dennison  sent 
him  to  Cleveland,  to  organize  the  seventh  and  eighth 
regiments  of  Ohio  infantry.  Having  organized  them, 
the  governor  offered  him  the  colonelcy  of  one  of 
them  ;  but  he  declined  the  offer  because  he  lacked 
"military  experience."     He   promised  to  take  a  sub- 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  355 


ordinate  position,  however,  provided  a  West  Point 
graduate  was  placed  in  command.  The  result  was, 
that  the  governor  appointed  him  lieutenant-colonel, 
and  sent  him  to  the  Western  Reserve  to  recruit  a 
regiment,  promising  him  a  West  Pointer  to  command 
it,  if  one  could  be  found.  Garfield  suggested  his  old 
friend  and  schoolmate,  Captain  Hazen,  then  in  the 
regular  army  ;  but  when  the  governor  sent  to  the  war 
department  for  his  transfer,  General  Scott  refused  to 
release  him.  So  the  Forty-second  OJiio  regiment, 
recruited  by  Garfield,  and  embracing  a  large  number 
of  Hiram  students,  went  into  camp  at  Columbus  with- 
out a  colonel.  It  was  in  these  circumstances,  and 
after  repeated  requests  from  officers  and  members  of 
the  regiment,  that  Garfield  consented  to  take  the 
command. 

He  proved  himself  as  victorious  in  war  as  he  had 
been  successful  in  peace.  In  less  than  one  month 
after  he  went  into  action  with  his  regiment,  under 
the  orders  of  General  Buell,  he  fought  the  battle  of 
Middle  Creek,  January  10,  1862,  driving  the  rebel 
General  Marshall,  whose  forces  largely  outnumbered 
his,  out  of  his  entrenchments,  compelling  him  to 
retreat  into  Virginia.  Other  victories  followed,  in 
what  was  called  the  "  Sandy  Valley  campaign,"  elicit- 
ing from  the  commanding-general  a  congratulatory 
order,  in  which  he  spoke  of  the  expedition  as  ''  calling 
into  action  the  highest  qualities  of  a  soldier  —  forti- 
tude, perseverance,  courage."  For  his  bravery  and 
military  skill  in  this  campaign,  the  authorities  at 
Washington  made  Garfield  a  brigadier-general,  dating 
his  commission  back  to  January  10,  1862,  the  day  of 


356  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

the  battle  of  Middle  Creek.  As  Garfield  was  the 
youngest  member  of  the  Ohio  senate,  so  now  he 
became  the  youngest  brigadier-general  in  the  army. 

Subsequently  he  was  made  major-general  "for 
gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga."  The  antecedents  of  that  famous 
battle,  under  General  Rosecrans,  show  that  the  victory 
was  due  more  to  the  sagacity,  plans,  and  courage  of 
General  Garfield  than  to  any  other  officer.  Within 
about  one  year  and  a  half,  he  rose  from  a  lieutenant- 
colonelcy  to  a  major-generalship.  Several  incidents, 
connected  with  his  war  record,  deserve  special  atten- 
tion here. 

The  thoughtful  consideration  that  he  devoted  to 
issues  of  importance  appeared  in  the  current  of  his 
thoughts  and  acts  after  he  had  determined  to  enter 
the  army.  He  went  to  his  home  at  night  thinking  of 
his  dear  mother  and  dearer  wife  and  child,  as  well  as 
the  small  property  he  should  leave  them  if  he  laid 
down  his  life  on  the  battle-field.  Opening  the  Bible 
which  his  mother  gave  him,  to  see  what  it  would  say 
to  him  upon  the  subject,  he  read,  and  read,  and  every 
passage  seemed  like  the  voice  of  God,  saying  to  him, 
"  Go  !  Go  !  "  Far  into  the  night  he  thought  and  read, 
and  read  and  thought,  more  and  more  satisfied  that  his 
decision  was  in  the  path  of  duty  ;  and,  before  the  dawn 
of  morning,  he  wrote  to  a  near  friend  as  follows  : 

"  I  have  had  a  curious  interest  in  watching  the  pro- 
cess, in  my  own  mind,  by  which  the  fabric  of  my  life 
is  being  demolished  and  reconstructed,  to  meet  the 
new  condition  of  affairs.  One  by  one  my  old  plans  and 
aims,  modes  of  thought  and  feeling,  are  found  to  be 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  357 

inconsistent  with  present  duty,  and  are  set  aside  to 
give  place  to  the  new  structure  of  military  life.  It  is 
not  without  a  regret,  almost  tearful  at  times,  that  I 
look  upon  the  ruins.  But  if,  as  the  result  of  the  broken 
plans  and  shattered  individual  lives  of  thousands  of 
American  citizens,  we  can  see  on  the  ruins  of  our  own 
national  errors  a  new  and  enduring  fabric  arise,  based 
on  larger  freedom  and  higher  justice,  it  will  be  a  small 
sacrifice  indeed.  For  myself,  I  am  contented  with 
such  a  prospect,  and,  regarding  my  life  as  given  to  the 
country,  am  only  anxious  to  make  as  much  of  it  as 
possible  before  the  mortgage  upon  it  is  foreclosed." 

When  he  went  into  camp,  to  drill  his  regiment 
before  joining  the  army,  his  thoroughness  and  sys- 
tematic way  of  doing  things,  as  well  as  his  tact  and 
use  of  carpenters'  tools,  came  into  immediate  use.  He 
was  ignorant  of  military  tactics,  and  so  he  sat  down 
first  to  the  task  of  instructing  himself  before  he  under- 
took the  instruction  of  his  regiment.  ''  Bringing  his 
saw  and  jack-plane  again  into  play,  he  fashioned  com- 
panies, officers,  and  non-commissioned  officers,  out  of 
maple  blocks,  and,  with  these  wooden-headed  troops, 
thoroughly  mastered  the  infantry  tactics  in  his  quarters. 
Then  he  organized  a  school  for  the  of^cers  of  his 
regiment,  requiring  thorough  recitation  in  the  tactics, 
■and  illustrating  the  manoeuvres  by  the  blocks  he  had 
prepared  for  his  own  instruction.  This  done,  he  insti- 
tuted regimental,  company,  squad,  skirmish,  and 
bayonet  drill,  and  kept  his  men  at  these  exercises  from 
six  to  eight  hours  a  day,  until  it  was  universally 
admitted  that  no  better  drilled  or  disciplined  regiment 
could  be  found  in  Ohio." 


35S  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

His  decision  and  force  of  character,  so  noticeable  in 
his  early  life,  were  illustrated  by  the  promptness  and 
energy  with  which  he  met  a  singular  disappointment 
on  the  day  his  regiment  left  Columbus  for  the  seat  of 
war.  By  some  mistake  or  misunderstanding  he  had  not 
reached  the  depot  when  the  train  started.  Coming  up 
within  five  minutes,  he  remarked  to  the  superintendent 
of  the  road,  "  I  was  never  behind  time  before  in  my 
life,  and  I  will  not  be  now ; "  and  he  chartered  an 
engine,  was  off  in  a  few  minutes,  and  overtook  his 
regiment  in  less  than  one  hour. 

Colonel  Garfield's  orders  were,  to  open  communica- 
tion with  Colonel  Cranor,  and  form  a  junction  with  his 
forces,  although  his  command  did  not  number  half  that 
of  the  enemy.  The  first  indispensable  thing  to  be 
done  was  to  find  a  trusty  messenger,  to  bear  despatches 
to  Colonel  Cranor.  He  must  be  a  man  who  would  die 
rather  than  betray  his  trust ;  for  Colonel  Cranor  was 
a  hundred  miles  away,  and  the  messenger  must  go 
through  a  region  inhabited  by  disloyal  people,  and 
infested  by  guerillas.  He  applied  to  Colonel  Moore, 
of  the  Fourteenth  Kentucky. 

"  Have  you  a  man  who  will  die  rather  than  fail  or 
betray  us  ?" 

"  I  think  I  have,"  the  colonel  replied,  after  a  little 
reflection;  "John  Jordan." 

The  man  was  called,  a  strong-looking  fellow,  tall  and 
lean,  with  a  squeaking  voice,  his  speech  the  uncouth 
dialect  of  the  mountains,  where  he  was  born  and 
reared,  subject  to  the  hardest  toil  and  privation.  He 
knew  much  of  nature,  in  whose  lap  he  was  dandled, 
but  very  little  of  books,  except  the  "  Course  of  Time  '* 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  359 

and  the  Bible.  Some  officers  would  have  thought  him 
too  simple  for  a  spy,  or  expert  messenger,  but  Garfield 
read  him  in  a  minute, — a  rude,  unlettered,  trusty, 
Christian  man. 

*'  Why  did  you  come  into  the  war  t "  at  last  asked 
the  colonel. 

*'To  do  my  sheer  fur  the  kentry,  gin'ral,"  answered 
the  man.  "  And  I  didn't  druv  no  barg'in  wi'  th'  Lord. 
I  guv  him  my  life  squar'  out ;  and  ef  he's  a  mind  ter 
tuck  it  in  on  this  tramp,  why,  it's  a'  his'n  ;  I've  nothin' 
ter  say  ag'in  it." 

"  You  mean  that  you've  come  into  the  war  not  ex- 
pecting to  get  out  of  it  ? " 

"That's  so,  gin'ral." 

"  Will  you  die,  rather  than  let  the  despatch  be 
taken } " 

"  I  wull." 

"Very  well ;  I  will  trust  you." 

Colonel  Garfield  wrote  his  despatch  on  tissue-paper, 
rolled  it  into  the  form  of  a  bullet,  coated  it  with  warm 
lead,  and  delivered  it  to  Jordan.  At  the  same  time 
he  provided  him  with  a  carbine,  a  brace  of  revolvers, 
and  the  fleetest  horse  in  the  regiment.  Jordan  started 
upon  his  perilous  journey  at  night,  after  the  moon 
was  down.  He  was  to  ride  by  night,  and  hide  in  the 
woods,  or  rest  in  loyal  families,  if  they  could  be  found, 
by  day. 

Before  Jordan  returned,  another  incident  transpired, 
showing  how  great  service  Garfield's  life  on  the  canal 
was  to  him  in  another  direction.  One  day,  a  loyal  scout 
presented  himself  at  his  headquarters,  and  grasping 
Colonel  Garfield's  hand,  exclaimed,  in  a  jolly  way, — 


36o  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

"Jim!" 

Garfield  looked  at  him  with  surprise,  for  a  moment, 
but  did  not  recognize  him. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Yer  old  companion,  Jim,"  answered  the  scout. 

''My  old  companion  !  "  ejaculated  Garfield. 

**  Yis,  yer  old  companion !  Yer  see  I  was  a  scout 
in  West  Virginia,  under  Rosecrans ;  and  hearing  of 
the  Sandy  Valley  expedition,  and  that  James  A.  Gar- 
field, of  Ohio,  had  command  of  it,  I  thought  as  how 
that  must  be  my  old  companion  on  the  canal  boat ;  and 
so  I  made  tracks  for  yer." 

*'  Harry ! "  exclaimed  Garfield,  shaking  his  hand 
heartily,  as  he  recognized  one  of  Captain  Letcher's 
crew,  whose  name  was  Henry  S.  Brown,  but  known  as 
''Harry''  on  the  boat.  The  marks  of  a  very  dissi- 
pated life  had  obliterated  the  traces  of  his  former  self, 
so  that  it  was  not  strange  that  Garfield  did  not  recog- 
nize him.  Brown  was  strongly  attached  to  "Jim,"  on 
the  canal,  and  now  he  desired,  above  all  things,  to 
serve  him. 

"  Colonel  Garfield,"  at  length  Brown  said,  laying 
aside  the  familiar  title  by  which  he  was  known  on  the 
canal  boat,  and  addressing  him  respectfully,  as  any 
loyal  soldier  would  address  a  superior  officer,  "  Colonel 
Garfield,  I'm  at  yer  service." 

"Just  the  man  I  want  for  a  scout,"  answered  Gar- 
field, heartily.  He  had  confidence  in  Brown  for  that 
business,  and  trusted  him  at  once.  He  knew  the 
country  thoroughly  ;  and  Garfield  sent  him  ahead  of 
his  column  to  make  the  circuit  of  the  rebel  camp,  and 
learn,  if  possible,  the  strength  and  position  of  Mar- 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  36 1 

shall's  army.  He  was  directed,  also,  to  sweep  through 
the  mountain  border  of  Virginia,  to  learn  if  the  loyal 
forces  were  threatened  from  that  quarter.  Brown  de- 
parted, and  Garfield  moved  forward. 

On  the  following  night,  as  Garfield  lay  in  sound 
sleep,  about  midnight,  Jordan  came  riding  into  camp 
from  his  dangerous  trip.  Alighting  from  his  foaming 
steed,  he  rushed  into  his  commander's  quarters,  and 
shook  him  until  he  awoke. 

"What!  back  safe  .-^  "  exclaimed  Garfield,  as  soon 
as  he  recognized  Jordan.  '*  Have  you  seen  Colonel 
Cranor  }  " 

"  Yes,  colonel ;  he  can't  be  mor'n  two  days  ahind  o' 
me,  nohow." 

'*God  bless  you,  Jordan!  You  have  done  us  great 
service,"  said  Garfield,  warmly. 

"I  thank  you,  colonel,"  answered  Jordan,  his  voice 
trembling;  "that's  more  pay'n  I  expected." 

He  had  returned  safely  ;  but  the  Providence  which 
so  wonderfully  guarded  his  way  out  seemed  to  leave 
him  to  find  his  own  way  back;  for,  as  he  expressed  it, 
"  The  Lord  he  cared  more  for  the  despatch  nor  he 
cared  for  me ;  and  it  was  nat'ral  he  shu'd ;  'cause  my 
life  only  counts  one,  but  the  despatch  —  it  stood  for 
all  Kentucky." 

The  use  of  Jordan  and  Brown  for  scouts  initiated 
Garfield  into  the  condition  of  a  successful  "  secret  ser- 
vice." When  he  became  chief  of  General  Rosecrans' 
staff  he  organized  a  "secret  service,"  which  Rosecrans 
called  "the  eyes  of  the  army;"  and  it  was  acknowl- 
edged to  be  the  most  complete  and  efficient  scout  sys- 
tem of  the  war. 


362  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  At-lantic  Mo?it/iIy,  of  October,  1865,  contained 
a  detailed  account  of  Jordan's  wonderful  trip,  and  it 
closed  by  leaving  the  hero  in  some  unknown  grave- 
yard —  dead.  But,  two  years  afterwards,  he  turned 
up,  and  wrote  to  General  Garfield  that  he  was  dead 
only  on  paper,  and  that  he  still  had  a  life  to  give  to 
his  country. 

We  have  seen  that  Garfield  was  a  born  leader  among 
the  companions  of  his  youth,  and  that  the  magnetism 
of  his  personal  presence  inspired  hearts  around  him 
with  a  kindred  spirit.  When  he  became  a  teacher, 
we  have  seen  that  he  excelled  other  teachers  in  awak- 
ening the  enthusiasm  of  his  pupils,  and  leading  them 
to  pursue  their  studies,  or  a  life  purpose,  with  singu- 
lar devotion.  It  was  equally  so  in  the  army.  In  the 
first  victorious  battle  that  he  fought  —  that  of  Middle 
Creek  —  many  incidents  transpired  to  establish  this 
fact. 

Colonel  Garfield  had  a  hundred  of  his  Hiram  stu- 
dents in  his  command.  As  soon  as  he  discovered 
where  the  main  rebel  force  lay  he  ordered  the  Hiram 
students  to  cross  the  rapid  stream,  and  climb  the 
ridge  opposite,  whence  the  rebel  fire  had  been  the  hot- 
test, his  object  being  to  bring  on  a  battle.  As  if  imi- 
tating their  brave  commander,  who  never  seemed  to 
heed  danger,  or  to  think  of  himself,  the  students  re- 
sponded with  a  cheer,  and  were  soon  up  to  their  waists 
in  the  cold,  wintry  river.  Once  over,  they  started  up 
the  rocky  ascent  with  a  yell,  clinging  to  the  trees  and 
underbrush  to  support  themselves.  When  not  more 
than  half  way  up  the  ridge,  two  thousand  rebel  rifles 
opened  upon  them  ;  but  on  they  went,  until  the  very 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  363 

summit  was  reached,  when  suddenly  the  hill  was  alive 
with  rebel  soldiers,  springing  from  ambush,  and  pour- 
ing a  deadly  fire  into  the  little  Spartan  band.  For  an 
instant  the  students  faltered,  but  the  shout  of  their 
leader.  Captain  Williams,  rallied  them. 

**  Every  man  to  a  tree  !  Give  them  as  good  as  they 
send,  boys ! " 

The  order  was  obeyed,  and  behind  the  huge  oaks 
and  maples  the  boys  stood  and  fired,  picking  off  the 
confederates,  one  by  one.  As  yet,  not  one  of  the 
Hiram  boys  had  fallen.  But  the  rebels  charge  upon 
them,  and  drive  them  down  the  hill,  two  of  their  num- 
ber falling,  one  to  rise  no  more.  A  Hiram  boy  turns 
to  his  wounded  comrade,  to  bear  him  away,  when  a 
rebel,  within  thirty  feet,  fires,  and  the  bullet  strikes 
a  tree  just  above  his  head.  The  Hiram  student  takes 
deliberate  aim,  and  sends  that  rebel  to  his  account. 
But  he  cannot  bear  away  his  comrade,  for  the  rebels 
are  upon  him.  He  joins  his  retreating  companions 
just  as  the  voice  of  the  heroic  Captain  Williams  is 
heard  again,  above  the  din  of  battle  : 

"  To  the  trees  again,  my  boys !  We  may  as  well 
die  here  as  in  Ohio  !  " 

To  the  trees  they  go,  and  succeed  in  turning  back 
the  rebel  advance,  and  driving  them  up  the  hill. 
Passing  the  wounded  Hiram  boy,  a  confederate  said 
to  him. 

"Boy,  guv  me  yer  musket." 

"Not  the  gun,  but  the  contents,"  shouted  the 
brave  fellow ;  and  the  confederate  fell  dead  at  his 
feet. 

Another    rebel    raised    his   weapon    to   brain   the 


364  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

prostrate  student,  when  the  latter  seized  the  dead 
rebel's  gun,  at  his  feet,  and  shot  him  so  quickly  that 
the  rebel  scarcely  knew  what  hurt  him.  One  hour  after- 
wards the  boys  had  borne  their  bleeding  hero  to  camp, 
where  the  surgeon  proceeded  to  amputate  his  limb. 

"  Oh,  what  will  mother  do  ?  "  exclaimed  the  patriot, 
in  the  midst  of  his  agony.  His  mother  was  poor, 
dependent  upon  her  son  for  support.  Two  weeks 
later  the  story  of  Charles  Carlton,  of  Franklin,  Ohio, 
was  told  in  the  Ohio  senate,  and  it  aroused  the  state 
to  lead  off  in  framing  statutes  to  aid  the  widows  and 
mothers  of  its  soldiers. 

Colonel  Garfield  ordered  five  hundred  soldiers 
forward  to  support  the  Hiram  valiants.  With  a  shout 
they  plunged  into  the  stream,  holding  their  cartridge- 
boxes  above  their  heads. 

"Hurrah  for  Williams,  and  the  Hiram  boys  ! " 

But  four  thousand  muskets,  and  twelve  pieces  of 
artillery,  concentrated  a  fearful  fire  upon  them. 

"This  will  never  do,"  cried  Garfield;  "who  will 
volunteer  to  carry  the  other  mountain  .'*  " 

"  We  will,"  answered  Colonel  Moore,  of  the  Twenty- 
second  Kentucky.  "  We  know  every  inch  of  the 
ground." 

"Go  in,  then,  and  give  them  Hail  Columbia!" 
Garfield  shouted. 

And  they  did ;  a  similar  fight  on  the  other  ridge, 
the  loyal  troops  behind  trees,  picking  off  the  rebels 
whose  heads  peered  above  the  rocks.  Cooler  men 
never  served  in  war. 

"Do  you  sec  that  reb  ?  "  said  one  comrade  to  an- 
other.    "  Hit  him  while  I'm  loading." 


FROM  PEACE    TO    WAR.  365 

Another  was  raising  his  cartridge  to  his  mouth 
when  a  rebel  bullet  cut  away  the  powder,  leaving  the 
lead  in  his  fingers.  Shielding  his  arm  with  his  body, 
he  said,  as  he  reloaded,  — 

"  There,  see  if  you  can  hit  that !  " 

Another  took  out  a  piece  of  hard  tack,  and  a  ball 
cut  it  to  pieces  in  his  hand. 

He  coolly  swallowed  the  remnant,  and  fired  at  his 
foe.  One  was  brought  down  by  a  rebel  bullet  in  his 
knee  ;  but,  with  rifle  still  in  hand,  he  watched  for  the 
man  who  shot  him.  The  rebel's  head  soon  appeared 
above  the  rock,  and  the  two  fired  at  the  same  mo- 
ment. The  loyal  soldier  was  hit  fatally  in  the  mouth. 
When  his  comrades  were  bearing  him  away,  he  spoke 
out,  — 

"  Never  mind  ;  that  secesh  is  done  for." 

When  the  confederate  was  found,  on  the  following 
day,  the  upper  part  of  his  head  was  shot  away  by  the 
other's  fatal  charge. 

So  the  battle  raged,  the  loyal  forces  advancing,  and 
then  retreating,  until  the  fate  of  the  little  Union  army 
seemed  to  hang  in  the  balance,  when  Garfield,  stand- 
ing on  a  rock  that  was  scarred  by  a  thousand  bullets, 
and  from  which  he  could  take  in  the  whole  scene, 
with  his  head  uncovered,  and  his  hair  streaming  in 
the  wind,  his  face  upturned  in  earnest  prayer  for 
Sheldon  and  his  forces  (expected  reinforcements), 
turned  to  his  hundred  men,  held  back  as  reserves, 
exclaiming,  as  he  tossed  his  outer  coat  into  a  tree,  — 

"  Come  on,  boys  !  lue  must  give  them  Hail  Colum- 
bia !  " 

And  they  rushed  to  the  succor  of  the  forlorn  hope, 


366  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  behind  the  western  hills ; 
when  lo !  a  look  to  the  northward  revealed  to  Garfield 
the  star-spangled  banner  waving  among  the  trees ! 
It  was  Sheldon  and  his  reinforcements,  just  in  season 
to  turn  the  tide  of  battle.  The  rebel  commander 
sounded  ''retreat!"  but  had  scarcely  given  the  order 
when  six  loyal  bullets  pierced  his  body,  and  he  fell 
dead. 

"■  God  bless  you,  boys ;  you  have  saved  Ken- 
tucky ! "  shouted  Garfield  to  his  troops,  when  they 
ceased  pursuing  the  retreating  confederates. 

We  learned  before,  that  President  Lincoln  made 
Garfield  brigader-general  for  gallant  services  in  this 
battle.  The  President  was  much  depressed  at  the 
time  of  this  victory,  because  of  repeated  disasters  to 
our  arms  in  the  *'  Department  of  the  East."  A  dis- 
tinguished army  officer  was  present  with  him  when 
he  received  the  news  of  this  victory,  and  Mr.  Lincoln 
said  to  the  officer,  — 

"  Why  did  Garfield,  in  two  weeks,  do  what  would 
have  taken  one  of  your  regular  officers  two  months  to 
accomplish  .'' " 

"  Because  he  was  not  educated  at  West  Point,"  re- 
plied the  West  Pointer,  laughingly. 

"No,"  answered  Mr.  Lincoln,  ''that  was  not  the 
reason.  It  was  because,  when  he  was  a  boy,  he  had 
to  work  for  a  living." 

After  the  battle  of  Middle  Creek,  Garfield's  soldiers 
were  exhausted,  and  short  of  rations.  The  roads 
were  well-nigh  impassable,  because  of  the  deep  mud, 
and  the  Big  Sandy  was  swollen  to  a  torrent,  rendering 
the  delivery  of  supplies  difficult.     Something  must  be 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR,  367 


done.  Garfield  proposed  to  go  down  the  river  to 
hurry  up  supplies,  but  the  oldest  boatmen  refused, 
saying,  "  Impossible,  it  can't  be  done  !  " 

Brown,  the  scout,  had  returned,  and  Garfield 
opened  the  subject  to  him. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Brown .?  The  boatmen 
say  that  it  is  sure  death  ;  what  do  you  say  ?  You  and 
I  know  somethino^  about  boatinfr." 

The  scout's  reply  was  characteristic.  "  It's  which  and 
tother,  Gineral  Jim;  starvin'  or  drownin.'  I'd  rather 
drown  nor  starv^e.  So,  guv  the  word,  and,  dead  or 
alive,  I'll  git  down  the  river!  " 

*'A11  right,  Harry,  we'll  go!"  And  they  sprang 
into  a  small  skiff,  and  committed  their  lives  to  the 
raging  torrent.  It  was  a  fearful  sail,  but  they  reached 
the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sandy  in  safety  ;  and  here  Gar- 
field's experience  on  the  canal  boat  served  him  well. 
There  he  found  a  small,  rickety  steamer,  named 
**  Sandy  Valley,"  tied  up  at  Catletsburg. 

"  I  am  under  the  necessity  of  taking  possession  of 
your  steamer  to  carry  supplies  to  my  troops,"  Colonel 
Garfield  said  to  the  captain,  who  was  a  secessionist, 
and  who,  of  course,  would  have  preferred  that  the 
troops  should  starve  rather  than  to  feed  them. 

**  This  craft  can't  stem  such  a  current,  no  how ;  it'll 
be  the  death  on  us,"  the  captain  replied.  There  was 
some  reason  for  his  saying  this,  for  the  water  in  the 
channel  was  sixty  feet  deep,  so  swollen  that  trees 
along  the  banks  were  submerged  nearly  to  their  tops. 

"  Nevertheless,  I  must  have  this  steamer,  and  I  will 
assume  the  command  :"  and  so  saying,  Garfield  ordered 
the  captain  and  crew  on  board,  took  his  station  at  the 


368  LOG-CABTiY  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

helm,  placed  Brown  at  the  bow,  with  a  long  fending 
pole,  to  keep  one  eye  on  the  floating  logs  and  uprooted 
trees,  and  the  other  on  the  rebel  captain.  The  steamer 
was  loaded  with  provisions,  and  started  up  the  river 
with  Captain  (not  Colonel  just  now)  Garfield  in  com- 
mand. We  learned,  in  the  course  of  our  narrative,  that 
once  he  desired  to  command  some  sort  of  water-craft, 
and  now  his  early  hopes  were  realized. 

When  night  came  on,  it  was  dark  and  tempestuous, 
and  the  captain  said,  — 

"  The  boat  must  be  tied  up  to-night ;  can't  live  in 
such  a  time  ;  it  is  madness  to  keep  on." 

"  But  I  am  captain  of  this  steamer,  now,"  responded 
Garfield  ;  "  keep  to  your  duty  and  I  will  keep  to  mine. 
We  don't  tie  up  boats  in  such  a  crisis  as  this.  Freshen 
the  fires,  men,  and  put  on  the  steam."  And  he  kept 
the  steamer  on  its  way. 

Finally,  in  turning  a  bend  in  the  river,  the  steamer 
swept  round  and  grounded  on  a  bar  of  quicksand.  The 
usual  efforts  were  made  to  relieve  her,  but  in  vain. 
And  now  that  tact  and  sound  common  sense  for  which 
we  have  seen  that  Garfield  was  distinguished  from 
boyhood,  came  to  his  rescue. 

"  Get  a  line  to  the  opposite  shore ! "  commanded 
Garfield,  particularly  addressing  the  sulky  captain. 

**  A  line  to  that  shore  ! "  shouted  the  rebel  captain 
in  reply.     "  It's  death  on  any  man  that  'tempts  it." 

"  It  can  be  done,  and  it  must  be  done,"  cried  Gar- 
field ;  and  he  leaped  into  the  yawl,  calling  Brown  to 
follow,  and  steered  for  the  shore.  The  wild  torrent 
swept  them  down  the  stream  a  short  distance,  but 
they  rallied  by  almost  superhuman  strength,  reached 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  369 

the  shore,  fastened  the  line,  constructed  a  windlass, 
and,  in  a  short  time,  the  steamer  was  drawn  from  her 
bed  in  the  mud,  and  was  on  her  triumphant  way  up 
the  stream.  From  Saturday  until  nine  o'clock  Mon- 
day morning,  Garfield  stood  at  the  wheel,  night  and 
day ;  and  when  he  reached  Paintsville  his  troops  were 
reduced  almost  to  their  last  cracker.  His  experience 
with  rough  men  at  the  **  Black-saltery,"  and  on  the 
canal,  qualified  him  to  deal  with  such  a  rebel  as  the 
captain  of  the  "Sandy  Valley." 

When  the  steamer  drew  up  to  the  Union  camp,  Gar- 
field's men  were  almost  frantic  with  joy.  They  cheered 
and  yelled,  and  seized  their  brave  commander,  and 
would  have  borne  him  upon  their  shoulders  to  head- 
quarters, had  he  not  resolutely  protested  against  it. 

Brown,  the  scout,  came  to  a  melancholy  end. 
General  Garfield  wrote  about  him.  May  31,  1864, 
as  follows  :  — 

"When  we  first  met  he  recognized  me  as  an  old 
acquaintance  on  the  Ohio  canal.  He  at  once  took  a 
sort  of  enthusiastic  pride  in  me,  and  with  a  rough, 
generous  nature,  was  ready  to  make  any  personal 
sacrifices  to  aid  me  to  success.  He  was  not  trusted  by 
most  of  our  people  ;  indeed,  many  of  them  attempted 
to  convince  me  that  he  was  not  only  a  rascal,  but  a 
rebel.  I  think  he  had  an  eye  for  a  good  horse,  and 
did  not  always  closely  distinguish  between  nieiim  and 
tiuini ;  but  my  remembrance  of  him  on  the  canal, 
together  with  a  feeling  that  he  loved  me,  made  me 
trust  him  implicitly.  I  think  he  was  never  perfectly 
happy  till  he  helped  me  to  navigate  the  little  steamer 
up  the  Big  Sandy  in  the  high  water.     Indeed,  I  could 


^T, 


70  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

not  have  done  that  without  his  aid.  He  was  about 
forty  years  old ;  a  short,  stocky,  sailor-looking  fellow, 
somewhat  bloated  with  hard  drinking ;  in  short,  he 
was  a  rare  combination  of  good  and  bad  qualities  with 
strong  traits,  a  ruined  man ;  and  yet,  underneath  the 
ruins,  a  great  deal  of  generous,  self-sacrificing  noble- 
heartedness,  which  made  one  deplore  his  fall,  and  yet 
like  him.  He  went  north  on  some  personal  business, 
just  before  I  left  the  Sandy  Valley,  and  I  received  a 
dirty  note  from  him,  written  from  Buffalo,  in  which  he 
said  he  should  meet  me  somewhere  in  'the  tide  of 
battle,'  and  fight  by  my  side  again ;  but  I  have  not 
heard  from  him  since." 

Another  says  : 

"This  was  in  1864.  Ten  years  afterward,  as  Gen- 
eral Garfield  was  about  to  deliver  an  address  at  Cornell, 
a  heavy  hand  was  laid  upon  his  shoulder,  and,  turning 
about,  he  saw  his  ex-scout  and  old  boat-companion. 
He  was  even  a  more  perfect  ruin  than  before  —  with 
bleared  eyes,  bloated  face,  and  garments  that  were  half 
tatters.  He  had  come,  he  said,  while  the  tears  rolled 
down  his  cheeks,  to  that  quiet  place  to  die,  and  now 
he  could  die  in  peace,  because  he  had  seen  his 
'  gineral.' 

"  Garfield  gave  him  money,  and  got  him  quarters 
among  some  kind  people,  and  left  him,  telling  him  to 
try  to  be  a  man  :  but,  in  any  event,  to  let  him  know  if 
he  ever  needed  further  help.  A  year  or  more  passed, 
and  no  word  came  from  Brown ;  but  then  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  public  hospital  at  Buffalo  wrote  the 
general  that  a  man  was  there  very  sick,  who,  in  his 
delirium  talked  of  him,  of  the  Ohio  Canal,  and  of  the 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  37 1 

Sandy  Valley  expedition.  Garfield  knew  at  once  that 
it  was  Brown,  and  immediately  forwarded  funds  to  the 
hospital,  asking  that  he  should  have  every  possible 
care  and  comfort.  The  letter  which  acknowledged 
the  remittance  announced  that  the  poor  fellow  had 
died —  died,  muttering,  in  his  delirium,  the  name  'Jim 
Garfield.' 

•'  Garfield  gave  him  a  decent  burial,  and  this  was 
the  last  of  the  poor  fellow." 

General  Garfield's  tact,  sagacity,  fidelity,  spirit  of 
self-sacrifice,  and  undaunted  courage,  so  conspicuous 
in  his  early  life,  are  illustrated  by  his  famous  ride 
from  General  Rosecrans  to  General  Thomas,  when 
the  army  of  the  Cumberland  was  almost  routed  in  the 
famous  battle  of  Chickamauga.  It  was  necessary  for 
General  Thomas  to  know  the  disaster  that  had  be- 
fallen Rosecrans'  forces,  in  order  to  meet  the  rebel 
General  Longstreet  victoriously.  Garfield  proposed 
to  undertake  the  fearful  ride.  Edmund  Kirk,  war 
correspondent  of  the  "  New  York  Tribune,"  de- 
scribed it  as  follows  : 

''Rosecrans  hesitates,  then  says,  'As  you  will, 
general;'  and  then,  reaching  Garfield  his  hand,  he 
adds,  while  his  face  shows  his  emotion,  '  We  may  not 
meet  again ;  good-bye  ;  God  bless  you  ! '  Though 
one  of  the  bravest  men  and  ablest  soldiers  that  ever 
lived,  Rosecrans  has  a  heart  as  tender  and  gentle  as  a 
woman's.  He  thinks  Garfield  is  Gfoinsf  to  wellni^^h 
certain  death,  and  he  loves  him  as  David  loved  Jona- 
than. Again  he  wrings  his  hand,  and  then  they  part 
—  Rosecrans  to  the  rear,  to  rally  his  broken  troops, 
Garfield  to  a  perilous  ride  in  pursuit  of  Thomas. 


3/2  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


"  Captain  Gaw  and  two  of  his  orderlies  go  with 
Garfield  to  guide  the  way.  They  make  a  wide  detour 
to  avoid  the  Confederates,  and,  by  the  route  they  take, 
it  is  eight  miles  of  tangled  forest  and  open  road  be- 
fore they  get  to  Thomas,  and  at  any  turn  they  may 
come  upon  the  enemy. 

"At  Rossville  they  take  the  Lafayette  Road, 
guiding  their  way  by  the  sound  of  the  firing,  and 
moving  cautiously,  for  they  are  now  nearing  the 
battle-field.  The  road  here  is  scarcely  more  than  a 
lane,  flanked  on  one  side  by  a  thick  wood,  and  on  the 
other  by  an  open  cotton-field.  No  troops  are  in  sight, 
and  on  they  gallop  at  a  rapid  pace ;  and  they  have 
left  Rossville  a  thousand  yards  behind,  when  sud- 
denly, from  along  the  left  of  the  road,  a  volley  of  a 
thousand  IVIinie-balls  falls  among  them,  thick  as  hail, 
wounding  one  horse,  killing  another,  and  stretching 
the  two  orderlies  on  the  ground  lifeless.  They  have 
ridden  into  an  ambuscade  of  a  large  body  of  Long- 
street's  skirmishers  and  sharpshooters,  who,  entering 
the  fatal  gap  in  the  right  centre,  have  pressed  thus 
far  upon  the  flank  of  Thomas. 

"■  Garfield  is  mounted  on  a  magnificent  horse,  that 
knows  his  rider's  bridle-hand  as  well  as  he  knows  the 
route  to  his  fodder.  Putting  spurs  to  his  side,  he 
leaps  the  fence  into  the  cotton-field.  The  opposite 
fence  is  lined  with  gray  blouses,  and  a  single  glance 
tells  him  that  they  are  loading  for  another  volley. 
He  has  been  in  tight  places  before,  but  this  is  the 
tightest.  Putting  his  lips  firmly  together,  he  says  to 
himself,  '  Now  is  your  time ;  be  a  man,  Jim  Gar- 
field ! '       He    speaks    to   his    horse,  and  lays  his  left 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  373 

hand  gently  on  the  rein  of  the  animal.  The  trained 
beast  yields  kindly  to  his  touch ;  and,  putting  the 
rowels  into  his  side,  Garfield  takes  a  zigzag  course 
across  the  cotton-field.  It  is  his  only  chance  ;  he 
must  tack  from  side  to  side,  for  he  is  a  dead  man  if 
they  get  a  steady  aim  upon  him. 

"  He  is  riding  up  an  inclined  plane  of  about  four 
hundred  yards,  and  if  he  can  pass  the  crest,  he  is  in 
safety.  But  the  gray  fellows  can  load  and  fire  twice, 
before  he  reaches  the  summit,  and  his  death  is  a 
thing  certain,  unless  Providence  has  more  work  for 
him  to  do  on  this  footstool.  Up  the  hill  he  goes, 
tacking,  when  another  volley  bellows  from  out  the 
timber.  His  horse  is  struck,  —  a  flesh  wound,  —  but 
the  noble  animal  only  leaps  forward  the  faster.  Scat- 
tering bullets  whiz  by  his  head,  but  he  is  within  a  few 
feet  of  the  summit.  Another  volley  echoes  along  the 
hill  when  he  is  half  over  the  crest,  but  in  a  moment 
more  he  is  in  safety.  As  he  tears  down  the  slope,  a 
small  body  of  mounted  blue-coats  gallop  forward  to 
meet  him.  At  their  head  is  General  Dan  McCook, 
his  face  anxious  and  pallid.  *  My  God,  Garfield  ! '  he 
cries,  *  I  thought  you  were  killed,  certain.  How  you 
have  escaped  is  a  miracle.* 

"  Garfield's  horse  has  been  struck  twice,  but  he  is 
good  yet  for  a  score  of  miles  ;  and  at  a  breakneck  pace 
they  go  forward  through  ploughed  fields  and  tangled 
forests,  and  over  broken  and  rocky  hills,  for  four 
weary  miles,  till  they  climb  a  wooded  crest,  and  are 
within  sight  of  Thomas.  In  a  slight  depression  of 
the  ground,  with  a  group  of  officers  about  him,  he 
stands  in  the  open  field,  while  over  him  sweeps  the 


374  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

storm  of  shotted  fire  that  falls  in  thick  rain  on  the 
high  foot-hill  which  Garfield  is  crossing.  Shot  and 
shell  and  canister  plough  up  the  ground  all  about 
Garfield  ;  but  in  the  midst  of  it  he  halts,  and  with  up- 
lifted right  arm,  and  eyes  full  of  tears,  he  shouts,  as 
he  catches  sight  of  Thomas,  '  There  he  is !  God 
bless  the  old  hero  !  he  has  saved  the  army  ! ' 

**  For  a  moment  only  he  halts,  then  he  plunges 
down  the  hill  through  the  fiery  storm,  and  in  five 
minutes  is  by  the  side  of  Thomas.  He  has  come  out 
unscathed  from  the  hurricane  of  death,  for  God's 
good  angels  have  warded  off  the  bullets,  but  his  noble 
horse  staggers  a  step  or  two,  and  then  falls  dead  at 
the  feet  of  Thomas." 

Garfield's  terrible  ride  saved  the  army  of  the  Cum- 
berland from  remediless  disaster. 

Another  incident  illustrative  of  his  life-long  inde- 
pendence in  standing  for  the  right,  befriending  the 
down-trodden,  and  assailing  slavery,  was  his  refusal 
to  return  a  fugitive  slave.  One  of  his  staff  told  the 
story  thus  : 

"  One  day  I  noticed  a  fugitive  slave  come  rushing 
into  camp  with  a  bloody  head,  and  apparently  fright- 
ened almost  to  death.  He  had  only  passed  my  tent 
a  moment,  when  a  regular  bully  of  a  fellow  came 
riding  up,  and,  with  a  volley  of  oaths,  began  to  ask 
after  his  'nigger.'  General  Garfield  was  not  present, 
and  he  passed  on  to  the  division  commander.  This 
division  commander  was  a  sympathizer  with  the  theory 
that  fugitives  should  be  returned  to  their  masters,  and 
that  the  Union  soldiers  should  be  made  the  instru- 
ments   for  returning  them.      He  accordingly  wrote  a 


FROM  PEACE    TO  WAR.  375 

mandatory  order  to  General  Garfield,  in  whose  com- 
mand the  slave  was  supposed  to  be  hiding,  telling  him 
to  hunt  out  and  deliver  over  the  property  of  the  out- 
raged citizen.  I  stated  the  case  as  fully  as  I  could  to 
General  Garfield,  before  handing  him  the  order,  but 
did  not  color  my  statement  in  any  way.  He  took  the 
order,  and  deliberately  wrote  on  it  the  following  en- 
dorsement : 

"  *  I  respectfully  but  positively  decline  to  allow  my 
command  to  search  for  or  deliver  up  any  fugitive 
slaves.  I  conceive  that  they  are  here  for  quite 
another  purpose.  The  command  is  open,  and  no 
obstacles  will  be  placed  in  the  way  of  search.' 

"  I  read  the  endorsement  and  v/as  frightened.  I 
expected  that,  if  returned,  the  result  would  be  that 
the  general  would  be  court-martialled.  I  told  him 
my  fears.  He  simply  replied  :  '  The  matter  may  as 
well  be  tested  first  as  last.  Right  is  right,  and  I  do 
not  propose  to  mince  matters  at  all.  My  soldiers  are 
here  for  other  purposes  than  hunting  and  return- 
ing fugitive  slaves.  My  people,  on  the  Western 
Reserve  of  Ohio,  did  not  send  my  boys  and  myself 
down  here  to  do  that  kind  of  business,  and  they  will 
back  me  up  in  my  action.'  He  would  not  alter  the 
endorsement,  and  the  order  was  returned.  Nothing 
ever  came  of  the  matter  further." 

In  the  beginning  of  our  story,  we  learned  that 
one  of  Garfield's  first  teachers  told  him  (patting 
him  on  the  head),  "  You  may  make  a  general,  if 
you  learn  well."  He  did  not  understand  the  mean- 
ing of  it  at  the  time,  but  he  knew  all  about  it  after- 
wards.    Nor  is  it  difficult  to  understand  how  his  early 


\-j6  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


opportunities  to  study  human  nature,  his  abiUty  to 
read  character,  his  tact  and  experience  in  discipHn- 
ing  and  drilUng  a  large  school,  fitted  him  for  a  suc- 
cessful general. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

TOP    OF    THE    LADDER. 

jN  the  summer  of  1862,  leading  republicans  of 
the  nineteenth  Ohio  congressional  district 
nominated  Garfield  to  represent  them  in  con- 
gress. They  regarded  him  as  the  man  above 
all  others  in  the  district  qualified  to  succeed  Joshua  R. 
Giddings,  of  whom  they  were  justly  proud.  Giddings 
was  superseded  four  years  before  by  John  Hutchins, 
with  whom  the  republicans  were  not  satisfied.  The 
movement  for  Garfield  was  undertaken  without  his 
knowledge.  He  was  at  the  head  of  his  command  in 
Kentucky.  The  knowledge  of  his  great  abilities,  and 
his  military  fame,  led  to  his  nomination.  At  first  he 
thought  he  must  decline  the  honor,  and  fight  out  the 
battles  of  his  country.  He  was  very  popular  in  the 
army,  both  with  officers  and  soldiers,  —  his  pay,  too, 
was  double  that  of  a  congressman,  and  he  was  poor 
and  needed  the  greater  salary,  —  and  there  was  no 
doubt  that  the  highest  honors  awaited  him  should  he 
continue  on  the  field  until  the  end  of  the  war.  The 
reader  can  readily  see  that  to  accept  the  nomination 
in  these  circumstances,  was  an  act  of  great  self-denial. 
But  President  Lincoln  signified  his  desire  for  Garfield 

377 


378  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

to  enter  congress,  as  a  member  of  military  experience 
and  skill  was  much  needed  there.  The  wishes  of 
Lincoln  settled  the  doubts  of  Garfield,  and  he  ac- 
cepted the  nomination,  was  triumphantly  elected,  and 
took  his  seat  in  the  national  house  of  representatives 
in  December,  1863,  after  two  years  and  three  months 
of  service  in  the  army. 

During  this  time  the  trustees  of  Hiram  Institute 
had  not  abandoned  the  idea  of  his  return  to  the  in- 
stitution. While  a  member  of  the  Ohio  senate,  he 
continued  his  connection  with  the  school,  when  the 
senate  was  not  in  session.  One  interesting  item  of 
his  thoroughness  in  teaching  belongs  to  this  part  of 
his  career.  He  was  teaching  a  class  how  to  write 
letters,  and  having  taught  them  how  to  address  dif- 
ferent classes  of  friends  and  relatives,  how  to  super- 
scribe letters,  etc.,  illustrating  the  same  on  the 
blackboard,  he  requested  each  one  to  write  a  letter 
to  him  at  Columbus.  In  due  time  the  letters  were 
written  and  forwarded.  Subsequently  they  were 
returned  to  the  authors,  corrected. 

During  his  first  two  years  in  congress,  his  name 
appeared  on  the  catalogue  of  Hiram  Institute  as 
"Advisory  Principal  and  Lecturer."  He  remained  a 
member  of  the  board  until  his  death.  For  seventeen 
years  he  served  his  district  as  national  representative, 
and  became  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  national 
house  of  representatives  ;  the  pride  of  his  native 
state,  Ohio,  and  an  honor  to  the  republic. 

One  of  the  first  important  measures  that  came  up, 
after  he  entered  congress,  was  a  bounty  bill — offer- 
ing men  a  sum  of  money,  in  addition  to  the  regular 


TOP   OF   THE  LADDER.  379 

army  pay,  to  become  soldiers,  instead  of  drafting 
and  forcing  them  to  serve.  The  bounty  bill  was 
very  popular  with  his  own  party,  and  drafting  was 
very  unpopular.  General  Garfield  did  not  consider 
the  popularity  or  unpopularity  of  the  measure  at  all, 
but  he  opposed  it  with  all  his  might,  on  the  ground 
that  bounties  recruited  the  army  with  unreliable 
soldiers,  necessitated  an  expense  that  the  government 
could  not  long  endure  ;  and  besides,  he  claimed  that 
the  government  had  a  right  to  the  services  of  every 
able-bodied  male  citizen,  from  eighteen  to  forty-five 
years  of  age,  and  they  should  be  drafted  to  the  extent 
of  the  country's  need.  When  the  vote  w^as  taken, 
Garfield  voted  against  his  own  party,  with  only  a 
single  member  of  it  to  stand  with  him.  A  few  days 
thereafter,  Secretary  Chase  said  to  him  : 

"  General  Garfield  !  I  was  proud  of  your  vote  the 
other  day.  Your  position  is  impregnable  ;  but  let  me 
tell  you,  it  is  rather  risky  business  for  a  member  of 
congress  to  vote  against  his  own  party." 

"  Risky  business,"  exclaimed  Garfield,  "  for  a  man 
to  stand  upon  his  conscience  !  His  constituents  may 
leave  him  at  home,  but  what  is  that  compared  with 
trampling  upon  his  convictions  .''  " 

A  few  days  afterwards,  President  Lincoln  went 
before  the  military  committee,  of  which  Garfield  was 
a  member,  and  told  them  what  he  did  not  dare  to 
breathe  to  the  country  : 

"  In  one  hundred  days,  three  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  soldiers  will  be  withdrawn  from  our  army, 
by  expiration  of  the  time  of  their  enlistment.  Unless 
congress  shall  authorize  me  to  fill  up  the  vacancy  by 


38o         log-cab:.v  to  white  house. 

draft,  I  shall  be  compelled  to  recall  Sherman  from 
Atlanta,  and  Grant  from  the  Peninsula." 

Some  of  the  committee  endeavored  to  dissuade  him 
from  such  a  measure,  saying  that  it  would  endanger 
his  re-election,  to  adopt  a  measure  so  unpopular.  Mr. 
Lincoln  stretched  his  tall  form  up  to  its  full  height, 
and  exclaimed,  — 

**  Gentlemen,  it  is  not  necessary  that  I  should  be 
re-elected,  but  it  is  necessary  that  I  should  put  down 
this  rebellion.  If  you  will  give  me  this  law,  I  will  put 
it  down  before  my  successor  takes  his  office." 

A  draft-law  for  five  hundred  thousand  men  was 
reported  to  the  House,  when  Garfield  made  one  of  his 
most  eloquent  and  patriotic  speeches  in  its  favor, 
carrying  it  by  storm.  Congress  and  the  whole  coun- 
try soon  came  to  feel  that  Garfield  was  right. 

A  few  months  later,  Alexander  Long,  Democratic 
member  of  the  house  from  Ohio,  in  sympathy  with 
the  authors  of  the  rebellion,  rose  in  his  seat,  and 
proposed  to  recognize  the  southern  confederacy. 
This  treasonable  act  caused  Garfield's  patriotic  blood 
to  boil  in  his  veins,  and  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
delivered  one  of  the  most  powerful  philippics  ever 
heard  in  the  American  congress.  Calling  attention 
to  the  traitor  of  the  American  revolution,  —  Benedict 
Arnold,  —  he  said, — 

"  But  now,  when  tens  of  thousands  of  brave  souls 
have  gone  up  to  God  under  the  shadow  of  the  flag ; 
when  thousands  more,  maimed  and  shattered  in  the 
contest,  are  sadly  awaiting  the  deliverance  of  death  ; 
now,  when  three  years  of  terrific  warfare  have  raged 
over  us  ;  when  our  armies  have  pushed  the  rebellion 


TOP   OF   THE  LADDER.  38 1 

back  over  mountains  and  rivers,  and  crowded  it  into 
narrow  limits,  until  a  wall  of  fire  girds  it ;  now, 
when  the  uplifted  hand  of  a  majestic  people  is  about 
to  hurl  the  bolts  of  its  conquering  power  upon  the 
rebellion  ;  now,  in  the  quiet  of  this  hall,  hatched  in 
the  lowest  depths  of  a  similar  dark  treason,  there 
rises  a  Benedict  Arnold,  and  proposes  to  surrender 
all  up,  body  and  spirit,  the  nation  and  the  flag,  its 
genius  and  its  honor,  now  and  forever,  to  the  accursed 
traitors  to  our  country  !  And  that  proposition  comes 
—  God  forgive  and  pity  my  beloved  state  —  it  comes 
from  a  citizen  of  the  time-honored  and  loyal  common- 
wealth of  Ohio ! 

"  I  implore  you,  brethren  in  this  house,  to  believe 
that  not  many  births  ever  gave  pangs  to  my  mother 
state  such  as  she  suffered  when  that  traitor  was  born  ! 
I  beg  you  not  to  believe  that  on  the  soil  of  that  state 
another  such  a  growth  has  ever  deformed  the  face  of 
nature,  and  darkened  the  light  of  God's  day." 

This  single  paragraph  shows  the  spirit  of  this  noble 
effort. 

President  Lincoln  vetoed  a  bill,  in  1864,  providing 
for  the  organization  of  civil  governments  in  Arkansas 
and  Louisiana,  and  appointed  military  governors. 
Many  Republicans  criticized  him  severely ;  among 
them,  Garfield.  His  constituents  disapproved  of  his 
course,  and  resolved  not  to  renominate  him.  The 
convention  of  his  congressional  district,  the  nineteenth 
of  Ohio,  met,  and  General  Garfield  was  called  upon 
for  an  explanation.  When  he  went  upon  the  plat 
form,  the  delegates  expected  to  hear  an  apology  from 
him  ;  but  instead,  he  boldly  defended  his  course,  and 


382  LOG-CABIX  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

that  of  Wade  and  Davis,  who  criticized  the  president 
sharply  in  the  New  York  Tribune ;  and  he  gave  the 
reasons  for  his  action,  adding : 

"  I  have  nothing  whatever  to  retract,  and  I  cannot 
change  my  honest  convictions  for  the  sake  of  a  seat 
in  congress.  I  have  great  respect  for  the  opinions  of 
my  constituents,  but  greater  regard  for  my  own  con- 
science. If  I  can  serve  you  as  an  independent  repre- 
sentative, acting  upon  my  own  judgment  and  convic- 
tions, I  would  be  glad  to  do  so ;  but  if  not,  I  do  not 
want  your  nomination ;  I  would  prefer  to  be  an  inde- 
pendent private  citizen." 

It  was  the  coolest,  plainest,  most  fearless  speech, 
probably,  that  was  ever  made  before  a  nominating 
convention  in  Ohio.  Garfield  withdrew  from  the  hall 
as  soon  as  he  closed  his  speech.  No  sooner  had  he 
withdrawn,  than  a  delegate  arose  and  said  : 

"  Mr.  President,  the  man  who  has  the  courage  to 
face  a  convention  like  that  deserves  a  nomination.  I 
move  that  General  Garfield  be  nominated  by  accla- 
mation." 

The  motion  was  carried  so  quickly,  and  by  such  a 
round  of  applause,  that  General  Garfield  heard  it  be- 
fore he  reached  the  hotel. 

General  Garfield  prosecuted  a  European  tour  in  the 
summer  of  1868,  for  his  health.  On  his  return,  he 
found  his  own  congressional  district  running  wild  with 
the  heresy  of  paying  the  national  debt  in  greenbacks. 
The  convention  to  nominate  a  congressional  candidate 
was  pending  ;  and  his  constituents  knew  that  he  be- 
lieved in  paying  the  debt  with  honest  money  —  gold. 
Friends   told   him   that    his    renomination  would   be 


TOP   OF   THE  LADDER.  3^3 

_ ■ m  — 

opposed  on  that  ground.  They  proposed  to  give  him 
a  public  reception,  but  charged  him  not  to  express  his 
views  on  that  subject  in  his  speech.  When  called 
out,  however,  he  struck  at  once  upon  that  exciting 
theme,  referring  to  the  information  he  had  received 
concerning  their  desire  to  pay  the  national  debt  in 
greenbacks,  and  said  : 

"  Much  as  I  value  your  opinions,  I  here  denounce 
this  theory  that  has  worked  its  way  into  the  state  as 
dishonest,  unwise  and  unpatriotic ;  and  if  I  were 
offered  a  nomination  and  election  for  my  natural  life, 
from  this  district,  on  this  platform,  I  should  spurn  it. 
If  you  should  ever  raise  the  question  of  renominating 
me,  let  it  be  understood  you  can  have  my  services 
only  on  the  ground  of  the  honest  payment  of  this 
debt,  and  these  bonds,  in  coin,  according  to  the  letter 
and  spirit  of  the  contract." 

On  the  fourteenth  day  of  April,  1865,  President 
Lincoln  was  assassinated.  The  following  morning 
New  York  city  presented  a  scene  of  the  most  perilous 
excitement.  Placards  were  pasted  up  in  New  York, 
Brooklyn,  and  Jersey  City,  calling  upon  loyal  citizens  to 
meet  around  Wall-Street  Exchange  at  eleven  o'clock. 
Thousands  came,  armed  with  revolvers  and  knives, 
ready  to  avenge  the  death  of  the  martyred  President. 
Fifty  thousand  men  gathered  there,  their  blood  boil- 
ing with  the  fires  of  patriotism. 

There  were  few  in  the  multitude  who  would  not 
strike  down  the  rebel  sympathizer  who  should  dare 
speak  a  word  against  Lincoln.  One  such  remarked 
to  another,  "  Lincoln  ought  to  have  been  shot  long 
ago."     He  was  not  suffered  to  repeat  it.     A  portable 


384  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

gallows  was  carried  through  the  crowd,  lifted  above 
their  heads,  the  bearers  muttering,  ''Vengeance!"  as 
they  went.  The  prospect  was  that  the  office  of  the 
"  World,"  a  disloyal  journal,  and  some  prominent  sym- 
pathizers with  the  rebellious  South,  would  be  swal- 
lowed in  the  raging  sea  of  passion.  The  wave  of  pop- 
ular indignation  was  swollen  by  the  harangues  of 
public  speakers.  In  the  midst  of  the  terrible  excite- 
ment, a  telegram  from  Washington  was  read,  —  Sew- 
ard IS  Dying."  For  an  instant,  vengeance  and  death 
upon  every  paper  and  every  man  opposed  to  Lincoln 
seemed  to  move  the  mighty  crowd.  Possibly  the 
scene  of  the  French  revolution  would  have  been  repro- 
duced in  the  streets  of  New  York,  had  not  a  man  of 
commanding  figure,  bearing  a  small  flag  in  his  hand, 
stepped  forward  and  beckoned  to  the  excited  throng. 

"  Another  telegram  from  Washington  !  "  cried  hun- 
dreds of  voices.  It  was  the  silence  of  death  that 
followed.  It  seemed  as  if  every  listener  held  his 
breath  to  hear. 

Lifting  his  right  arm  toward  heaven,  in  a  cle^r, 
distinct,  steady,  ponderous  voice,  that  the  multitude 
could  hear,  the  speaker  said  : 

"  Fellow-citizens  :  Clouds  and  darkness  are  round 
about  Him.  His  pavilion  is  dark  waters  and  thick 
clouds  of  the  skies  !  Justice  and  judgment  are  the 
habitation  of  His  throne !  Mercy  and  truth  shall 
go  before  His  face !  Fellow-citizens :  God  reigns, 
and  the  Government  at  Washington  still  lives  !  " 

The  speaker  was  General  Garfield.  The  effect 
of  his  remarkable  effort  was  miraculous.  Another 
said  of  it  :  — 


TOP   OF  THE  LADDER.  385 

"As  the  boiling  wave  subsides  and  settles  to  the 
sea  when  some  strong  wind  beats  it  down,  so  the 
tumult  of  the  people  sank  and  became  still.  As  the 
rod  draws  the  electricity  from  the  air,  and  conducts  it 
safely  to  the  ground,  so  this  man  had  drawn  the  fury 
from  that  frantic  crowd,  and  guided  it  to  more  tran- 
quil thoughts  than  vengeance.  It  was  as  if  some 
divinity  had  spoken  through  him.  It  was  a  triumph 
of  eloquence,  a  flash  of  inspiration  such  as  seldom 
comes  to  any  man,  and  to  not  more  than  one  man  in 
a  century.  Webster,  nor  Choate,  nor  Everett,  nor 
Seward,  ever  reached  it.  Demosthenes  never  equalled 
it.  The  man  for  the  crisis  had  come,  and  his  words 
were  more  potent  than  Napoleon's  guns  at  Paris." 

This  incident  illustrates  several  of  the  qualities  of 
Garfield's  character  that  we  have  seen  in  his  early  life, 
—  his  sagacity,  tact,  quick-witted  turn  in  an  emer- 
gency ;  his  magnetic  power,  and  familiarity  with,  and 
confidence  in,  the  Bible.  All  along  through  his  public 
career  the  attainments,  habits,  and  application  of  his 
youth  contributed  to  his  marvellous  success. 

As  his  character  and  abilities  added  dignity  to  the 
office  of  janitor  and  teacher  in  his  early  manhood,  so 
they  dignified  all  the  offices  that  he  filled  throughout 
his  public  career. 

In  scholarship  and  familiarity  with  general  litera- 
ture Garfield  stood  without  a  peer  in  Congress.  Mr. 
Townsend  said  of  him  :  '*  Since  John  Quincy  Adams, 
no  President  has  had  Garfield's  scholarship,  which  is 
fully  up  to  this  age  of  wider  facts."  A  Washington 
writer  said  :  "  Few  public  men  in  this  city  keep  up 
literary  studies.     General  Garfield  is  one  of  the  few." 


386  LOG-CABI.X  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Another  said,  "  Garfield  is  a  man  of  infinite  resources. 
He  is  one  of  the  half-dozen  men  in  Congress  who 
read  books."  President  Hinsdale  said,  "He  has  great 
power  of  logical  analysis,  and  stands  with  the  first  in 
power  of  rhetorical  exposition.  He  has  the  instincts 
and  habits  of  a  scholar.  As  a  student,  he  loves  to 
roam  in  every  field  of  knowledge.  He  delights  in 
creations  of  the  imagination,  poetry,  fiction,  and  art  ; 
loves  the  abstract  things  of  philosophy ;  takes  a  keen 
interest  in  scientific  research ;  gathers  into  his  capa- 
cious storehouse  the  facts  of  history  and  politics,  and 
throws  over  the  whole  the  life  and  power  of  his  own 
originality.  .  .  .  No  public  man  of  the  last  ten  years 
has  more  won  upon  our  scholars,  scientists,  men  of 
letters,  and  the  cultivated  classes  generally.  .  .  .  His 
moral  character  is  the  fit  crown  of  his  physical  and 
intellectual  nature.  His  mind  is  pure,  his  heart  kind, 
his  nature  and  habits  simple,  his  generosity  unbounded. 
An  old  friend  told  me  the  other  day,  "  I  have  never 
found  anything  to  compare  with  Garfield's  heart." 

Smalley  said,  — 

*' There  is  probably  no  living  political  orator  whose 
efforts  before  large  audiences  are  so  effective.  He 
appeals  directly  to  the  reason  of  men,  and  only  after 
carrying  his  hearers  along  on  a  strong  tide  of  argument 
to  irresistible  conclusions,  does  he  address  himself  to 
their  feelings.  .  .  .  He  has  a  powerful  voice,  great  per- 
sonal magnetism,  and  a  style  of  address  that  wins  confi- 
dence at  the  outset,  and  he  is  master  of  the  art  of  binding 
together  facts  and  logic  into  a  solid  sheaf  of  argument. 
At  times  he  seems  to  lift  his  audience  up  and  shake  it 
with  strong  emotion,  so  powerful  is  his  eloquence." 


TOP   OF   THE  LADDER.  387 

The  following  are  some  original  sentiments  and 
maxims,  from  his  numerous  public  addresses,  just  the 
thoughts  for  every  youth  of  the  land  to  ponder : 

"  There  is  no  more  common  thought  among  young 
people  than  that  foolish  one,  that  by  and  by  some- 
thing will  turn  up  by  which  they  will  suddenly 
achieve  fame  or  fortune.  No,  young  gentlemen ; 
things  don't  turn  up  in  this  world  unless  somebody 
turns  them  up." 

"  I  feel  a  profounder  reverence  for  a  boy  than  a  man. 
I  never  meet  a  ragged  boy  on  the  street  without  feel- 
ing that  I  owe  him  a  salute,  for  I  know  not  what  possi- 
bilities may  be  buttoned  up  under  his  shabby  coat." 

*'  There  is  scarcely  a  more  pitiable  sight  than  to  see 
here  and  there  learned  men,  so  called,  who  have 
graduated  in  our  own  and  the  universities  of  Europe 
with  high  honors,  and  yet  who  could  not  harness  a 
horse,  or  make  out  a  bill  of  sale,  if  the  world 
depended  upon  it." 

"  Luck  is  an  ignis  fatinis.  You  may  follow  it  to 
ruin,  but  not  to  success." 

''  Be  fit  for  more  than  the  one  thing  you  are  now 
doing." 

"  If  the  power  to  do  hard  work  is  not  talent,  it  is  the 
best  possible  substitute  for  it." 

"  Every  character  is  the  joint  product  of  nature  and 
nurture." 

''  For  the  noblest  man  that  lives  there  still  remains 
a  conflict." 

"  The  privilege  of  being  a  young  man  is  a  great 
privilege,  and  the  privilege  of  growing  up  to  be  an 
independent  man,  in  middle  life,  is  a  greater." 


\S8  LOG-CABL\  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 


I  would  rather  be  beaten  in  right  than  succeed  in 


wrong. 


"  Whatever  you  win  in  life  you  must  conquer  by 
your  own  efforts,  and  then  it  is  yours  —  a  part  of  your- 
self." 

"  If  there  be  one  thing  upon  this  earth  that  mankind 
love  and  admire  more  than  another,  it  is  a  brave  man, 
—  it  is  a  man  who  dares  look  the  devil  in  the  face,  and 
tell  him  he  is  a  devil." 

"  The  student  should  study  himself,  his  relation  to 
society,  to  nature,  and  to  art,  and  above  all,  in  all,  and 
through  all  these,  he  should  study  the  relations  of 
himself,  society,  nature,  and  art  to  God,  the  Author  of 
them  all." 

"Great  ideas  travel  slowly,  and  for  a  time  noise- 
lessly, as  the  gods  whose  feet  were  shod  with  wool." 

**  Truth  is  so  related  and  correlated  that  no  depart- 
ment of  her  realm  is  wholly  isolated." 

*'  I  would  rather  be  defeated  than  make  capital  out 
of  my  religion." 

"  Ideas  are  the  great  warriors  of  the  world,  and  a 
war  that  has  no  ideas  behind  it  is  simply  brutality." 

*'  It  is  a  fearful  thing  for  one  man  to  stand  up  in 
the  face  of  his  brother  man  and  refuse  to  keep  his 
pledge ;  but  it  is  a  forty-five  million  times  worse  thing 
for  a  nation  to  do  it.  It  breaks  the  mainspring  of 
faith." 

"  The  flowers  that  bloom  over  the  garden  wall  of 
party  politics  are  the  sweetest  and  most  fragrant  that 
bloom  in  the  gardens  of  this  world." 

*•  It  was  not  one  man  who  killed  Abraham  Lincoln : 
it  was   the   embodied    spirit   of   treason  and  slavery, 


TOP    OF  THE   LADDER.  389 

inspired  with  fearful  and  despairing  hate,  that  struck 
him  down  in  the  moment  of  the  nation's  supremest  joy." 
"  When  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  brave  spirits 
passed  from  the  field  of  honor  through  that  thin  veil 
to  the  presence  of  God,  and  when  at  last  its  parting 
folds  admitted  the  martyr-president  to  the  company  of 
the  dead  heroes  of  the  republic,  the  nation  stood  so 
near  the  veil  that  the  whispers  of  God  were  heard  by 
the  children  of  men." 

His  great  popularity  and  usefulness  as  a  representa- 
tive very  naturally  suggested  his  name  to  the  Repub- 
licans of  Ohio,  when  a  United  States  Senator  was  to 
be  elected  by  the  legislature,  in  January,  1880,  to  suc- 
ceed Mr.  Thurman.  When  the  subject  was  opened  to 
Garfield,  he  remarked : 

"Just  as  you  please  ;  if  my  friends  think  it  best,  I 
shall  make  no  objection." 

*'  We  want  you  should  go  to  Columbus  when  the 
election  is  pending." 

"  I  cannot  consent  to  any  such  plan.  I  shall  not  lift 
my  finger  for  the  office.  I  never  sought  an  office  yet, 
except  that  of  janitor  at  Hiram  Institute.  If  the  people 
want  me,  they  will  elect  me." 

"Very  true,"  urged  his  friends  ;  "it  is  no  engineer- 
ing or  finessing  that  we  desire  you  to  do  at  Columbus. 
We  only  want  you  to  be  where  your  friends  can  see 
you  and  confer  with  you." 

"  And  that  will  be  construed  into  work  for  the  office, 
the  very  appearance  of  which  is  distasteful  to  me.  I 
decline  peremptorily  to  go  to  Columbus."  This  was 
Garfield's  characteristic  decision  and  reply. 


390  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

When  the  legislature  assembled,  the  feeling  was  so 
strong  for  Garfield  that  all  other  candidates  withdrew, 
and  he  was  nominated  by  acclamation  at  the  party- 
caucus,  and  unanimously  elected. 

After  the  election  was  over,  he  visited  Columbus, 
and  addressed  both  branches  of  the  legislature  in  joint 
convention.  The  closing  paragraph  of  his  remark- 
able speech  illustrates  the  courage  and  independ- 
ence of  the  man  ;  qualities  that  have  recommended 
him  to  the  confidence  and  support  of  the  people.  He 
said  : 

"  During  the  twenty  years  that  I  have  been  in  pub- 
lic life,  almost  eighteen  of  it  in  the  congress  of  the 
United  States,  I  have  tried  to  do  one  thing.  Whether 
I  was  mistaken  or  otherwise,  it  has  been  the  plan  of 
my  life  to  follow  my  convictions,  at  whatever  personal 
cost  to  myself.  I  have  represented  for  many  years  a 
district  in  congress  whose  approbation  I  greatly  de- 
sired ;  but  though  it  may  seem,  perhaps,  a  little  egotis- 
tical to  say  it,  I  yet  desired  still  more  the  approbation 
of  one  person,  and  his  name  was  Garfield.  He  is 
the  only  man  that  I  am  compelled  to  sleep  with,  and 
eat  with,  and  live  with,  and  die  with  ;  and  if  I  could 
not  have  his  approbation  I  should  have  had  bad  com- 
panionship." 

In  view  of  this  last  triumph,  President  Hinsdale 
said  : 

"  He  has  commanded  success.  His  ability,  knowl- 
edge, mastery  of  questions,  generosity  of  nature,  devo- 
tion to  the  public  good,  and  honesty  of  purpose,  have 
done  the  work.  He  has  never  had  a  political  '  machine.' 
He  has  never  forgotten  the  day  of  small  things.     It  is 


TOP   OF   THE  LADDER.  39 1 

difficult  to  see  how  a  political  triumph  could  be  more 
complete  or  more  gratifying  than  his  election  to  the 
senate.  No  bargains,  no  *  slate,'  no  'grocery,'  at  Co- 
lumbus. He  did  not  even  go  to  the  capital  city.  Such 
things  are  inspiring  to  those  who  think  politics  in  a 
bad  way.  He  is  a  man  of  positive  convictions,  freely 
uttered.  Politically,  he  may  be  called  a  *  man  of  war  ; ' 
and  yet  few  men,  or  none,  begrudge  him  his  triumph. 
Democrats  vied  with  Republicans  the  other  day,  in 
Washington,  in  their  congratulations ;  some  of  them 
were  as  anxious  for  his  election  as  any  Republican 
could  be.  It  is  said  that  he  will  go  to  the  senate  with- 
out an  enemy  on  either  side  of  the  chamber.  These 
things  are  honorable  to  all  parties. '  They  show  that 
manhood  is  more  than  party." 

And  so  James,  the  hero  of  our  tale,  stood  upon  the 
highest  round  of  the  ladder  of  fame,  save  one  ! 

The  final  step  to  the  top  of  the  ladder  followed 
quickly  ;  so  quickly  that  he  had  not  time  to  take 
his  seat  in  the  United  States  senate.  He  had  but 
just  planted  his  feet  upon  the  highest  round  of  the 
ladder,  save  one,  when  the  call  to  come  up  higher  — 
to  the  top  —  was  heard  from  Maine  to  the  Golden 
Gate. 

The  National  Republican  Convention,  five  months 
later,  assembled  to  nominate  a  candidate  for  the  presi- 
dency of  the  United  States.  James  A.  Garfield  was  a 
member  of  that  convention,  and  his  magnetic  presence 
was  the  occasion  of  much  enthusiasm  and  applause. 
Although  he  was  not  a  candidate  for  the  position, 
whenever  he  arose  to  speak,  or  moved  about  in  the 
vast  audience,  he  was  greeted  with  hearty  cheers.     He 


392  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

was  evidently  en  rapport  with  the  crowded  assembly. 
After  thirty-four  ineffectual  ballots,  about  fifty  mem- 
bers of  the  convention  cast  their  votes  for  James  A. 
Garfield  in  the  thirty-fifth  ballot.  The  announcement 
created  a  furore  of  excitement,  as  it  indicated  a  break- 
ing up  of  the  factions,  and  a  probable  union  of  all 
upon  the  most  popular  Republican  in  the  convention. 
Instantly  the  delegates  of  one  state  seized  their  ban- 
ner with  a  shout  (the  delegates  of  each  state  sat  to- 
gether, their  banner  bearing  the  name  of  their  state), 
bore  it  proudly  forward,  and  placed  it  over  the  head  of 
the  aforesaid  patriot  and  statesman,  followed  by  other 
delegations,  and  still  others,  until  seven  hundred  dele- 
gates upon  the  floor,  and  fifteen  thousand  spectators 
in  the  galleries,  joined  in  the  remarkable  demonstra- 
tion, and  cheer  upon  cheer  rent  the  air,  as  the  ban- 
ners, one  after  another,  were  placed  in  triumph  over 
the  head  of  their  hero,  declaring  to  the  world,  without 
the  use  of  language,  that  James  A.  Garfield  was  the 
choice  of  the  convention  for  President  of  the  United 
States  ;  the  magnificent  ovation  terminating  by  the 
several  bands  striking  up  *'  Rally  Round  the  Flag," 
fifteen  thousand  voices  joining  in  the  chorus,  and  a 
section  of  artillery  outside  contributing  its  thundering 
bass  to  the  outburst  of  joy.  It  was  a  wild,  tumultuous 
scene  of  excitement,  the  spontaneous  outburst  of 
patriotic  devotion  to  the  country,  such  as  never  trans- 
pired in  any  political  assembly  before,  and,  probably, 
never  will  again.  It  was  something  more,  and  differ- 
ent from  the  usual  excitement  and  passion  of  political 
assemblies  ;  it  was  an  inspiration  of  the  hour,  begot- 
ten and  moved  by  more  than   mortal  impulse,  —  the 


TOP    OF   THE  LADDER.  393 

interposition  of  Him  who  has  guided  and  saved  our 
country  from  its  birth  ! 

That  spontaneous  burst  of  enthusiasm  really  nomi- 
nated General  Garfield  for  President.  The  thirty- 
sixth  ballot,  that  followed  immediately,  was  only  a 
method  of  registering  the  decision  of  that  supreme 
moment. 

The  news  of  General  Garfield's  nomination  flew 
with  the  speed  of  electricity  over  the  land,  creating 
unbounded  joy  from  Plymouth  Rock  to  the  Pacific 
Slope.  The  disappointments  and  animosities  of  a 
heated  contest  vanished  at  once  before  the  conceded 
worth  and  popularity  of  the  candidate.  Partisans 
forgot  the  men  of  their  choice,  in  their  gladness  that 
union  and  harmony  signalized  the  close  of  the  most 
remarkable  political  convention  on  record. 

He  was  elected  President  of  the  United 
States  on  the  second  day  of  November,  eighteen 

HUNDRED  and  EIGHTY. 

He  carried  twenty  of  the  thirty-eight  states,  securing 
213  of  the  369  electors.  In  his  native  town  of  Orange 
every  ballot  was  cast  for  him. 

The  time  between  the  election  and  inauguration  of 
General  Garfield  was  characterized  by  good  feeling  and 
general  hopefulness.  The  almost  unprecedented  ex- 
citement of  the  political  campaign  subsided  into  national 
tranquillity  and  peace,  in  which  the  two  great  political 
parties  seemed  to  be  more  harmonious  than  ever.  Mr. 
Garfield's  popularity  won  the  esteem  of  leading  men 
who  opposed  his  election,  and  some  of  them  publicly 
declared  their  entire  confidence  in  the  man  and  their 
profound  respect  for  his  great  talents.     The  striking 


394 


LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


chancre  from  the  bitterness  of  an  exciting  political 
campaign,  for  two  or  three  months  previous  to  the 
election,  to  the  cheerful  acquiescence  in  the  result,  and 
the  general  good-will  towards  the  President-elect,  was 
an  event  worthy  of  record. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

IN   THE    WHITE    HOUSE. 

HE  Fourth  of  March,  1881  —  the  day  of  the 
inauguration  of  General  Garfield  as  Presi- 
dent  of  the  United  States  —  will  be  remem- 
bered for  its  bleak,  uncomfortable,  stormy 
morning,  threatening  to  spoil  the  preparations  for  a 
grand  military  and  civic  display.  About  ten  o'clock, 
however,  the  storm  subsided,  and  the  clouds  partially 
broke.  The  city  was  crowded  with  visitors  from  dif- 
ferent sections  of  the  country,  among  them  many  civic 
organizations  and  military  companies  which  had  come 
to  join  in  the  procession.  The  wide-spread  interest  in 
the  occasion  was  due  to  the  fame  of  the  President- 
elect and  the  era  of  good  feeling  that  succeeded  his 
election.  Not  only  his  personal  friends,  but  many 
others  in  every  part  of  the  land,  exerted  themselves  to 
make  the  occasion  memorable,  beyond  all  similar 
demonstrations.  General  Garfield's  college  classmates 
were  there,  to  the  number  of  twenty,  to  congratulate 
him  upon  his  remarkable  public  career.  On  the  even- 
ing of  March  third,  they  tendered  to  him  a  reception 
at  Wormley's  Hotel  in  Washington,  renewing  old 
friendships  around  the  festive  board,  each  member  of 

395 


39^  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


the  class  feeling  himself  honored  in  the  high  honor  the 
country  had  bestowed  upon  his  gifted  classmate.  In 
response  to  a  toast  on  that  occasion,  General  Garfield 
said  :  — 

**  Classmates  :  To  me  there  is  something  exceed- 
ingly pathetic  in  this  reunion.  In  every  eye  before  me 
I  see  the  light  of  friendship  and  love,  and  I  am  sure  it 
is  reflected  back  to  each  one  of  you  from  my  inmost 
heart.  For  twenty-two  years,  with  the  exception  of 
the  last  few  days,  I  have  been  in  the  public  service. 
To-night  I  am  a  private  citizen.  To-morrow  I  shall  be 
called  to  assume  new  responsibilities,  and  on  the  day 
after,  the  broadside  of  the  world's  wrath  will  strike. 
It  will  strike  hard.  I  know  it,  and  you  will  know  it. 
Whatever  may  happen  to  me  in  the  future,  I  shall  feel 
that  I  can  always  fall  back  upon  the  shoulders  and 
hearts  of  the  class  of  '56  for  their  approval  of  that 
which  is  right,  and  for  their  charitable  judgment 
wherein  I  may  come  short  in  the  discharge  of  my 
public  duties.  You  may  write  down- in  your  books 
now  the  largest  percentage  of  blunders  which  you 
think  I  will  be  likely  to  make,  and  you  will  be  sure  to 
find  in  the  end  that  I  have  made  more  than  you  have 
calculated  —  many  more. 

''This  honor  comes  to  me  unsought.  I  have  never 
had  the  presidential  fever  —  not  even  for  a  day;  nor 
have  I  it  to-night.  I  have  no  feeling  of  elation  in  view 
of  the  position  I  am  called  upon  to  fill.  I  would  thank 
God  were  I  to-day  a  free  lance  in  the  House  or  the 
Senate.  But  it  is  not  to  be,  and  I  will  go  forward  to 
meet  the  responsibilities  and  discharge  the  duties  that 
are  before  me  with  all  the  firmness  and  ability  I  can 


IN   THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  397 


command.  I  hope  you  will  be  able  conscientiously  to 
approve  my  conduct ;  and  when  I  return  to  private  life, 
I  wish  you  to  give  me  another  class-meeting." 

The  ceremony  of  inauguration  was  arranged  for 
twelve  o'clock,  noon.  Before  that  hour  arrived,  more 
than  one  hundred  thousand  people  thronged  the 
streets  of  the  city  to  witness  the  unusual  display. 
Every  State  of  the  Union  was  represented  in  the 
seething  multitude  ;  and  hundreds  of  public  men  were 
present  —  senators,  representatives,  governors,  judges, 
lawyers,  clergymen,  and  authors.  A  large  number  of 
veterans  of  the  late  war  were  there  to  honor  their 
beloved  comrade  of  other  Jays  who  was  going  up 
higher. 

The  ceremony  was  to  take  place  at  the  Capitol,  and 
preparations  were  made  at  the  White  House,  wdience 
the  presidential  party  would  be  escorted. 

At  half-past  ten  o'clock  a  chorus  of  bugles  an- 
nounced the  arrival  of  President  Hayes  and  Presi- 
dent-elect Garfield  from  the  hotel,  v/ho  were  received 
in  the  ante-room  by  Mr.  Pendleton,  and  for  a  brief 
moment  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  and  other  invited 
friends  in  the  House  greeted  each  other  in  the  red 
room.  Col.  Casey  then  announced  that  everything 
was  ready,  and  assigned  the  party  to  carriages  in 
the  following  order :  First,  Gen.  Garfield's  mother 
and  wife,  Mrs.  Hayes,  Mollie  Garfield  and  Fanny 
Hayes ;  second,  Mrs.  Dr.  Davis,  Mrs.  Herron  of 
Cincinnati,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrews  and  Miss  Bullard 
of  Cleveland  ;  third,  Mrs.  Mason  and  three  daughters 
of  Cleveland  ;  fourth,  Harry,  Jimmy  and  Irv^ing  Gar- 
field and  Scott  Hayes ;  fifth,  Messrs.  Swaim  and  Rock- 


39^^  LOG-CABIX   TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

well,  Mrs.  Deschler  and  Mrs.  Greene  of  Cleveland ; 
sixth,  Miss  Cook,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Noble  of  Columbia. 
A  magnificent  four-in-hand  of  bays  then  drove  up, 
drawing  an  open  barouche,  into  which  stepped  Presi- 
dent Hayes  and  Gen.  Garfield,  accompanied  by  Sena- 
tors Anthony  and  Bayard,  who  were  driven  off  a  short 
distance,  and  were  followed  by  a  carriage  containing 
Vice-President-elect  Arthur  and  Senator  Pendleton, 
drawn  by  a  beautiful  four-in-hand  of  grays.  The 
presidential  party  was  halted  an  instant  while  the 
Cleveland  troupe  filed  in  ahead,  and  the  Cleveland 
Grays  fell  in  immediately  in  the  rear.  As  they  passed 
down  the  avenue  they  were  greeted  with  cheers  and 
waving  of  handkerchiefs  from  the  assembled  thou- 
sands, who,  by  this  time,  lined  every  avenue  from 
end  to  end. 

At  the  Capitol  an  imposing  scene  was  presented. 
After  the  presidential  party  had  filed  into  the  senate 
chamber,  the  gorgeous  diplomatic  corps,  headed  by 
Sir  Edward  Thornton,  preceded  by  Secretary  Evarts, 
entered  and  occupied  the  best  seats  on  the  right  of 
the  Vice-President.  All  the  legations  in  Washington 
were  represented.  All  ^appeared  in  court  dress, 
except  the  Mexican  and  the  Chilian  legations,  who 
were  in  evening  costume. 

The  Supreme  Court  then  appeared  in  robes  and 
took  front  scats  reserved  for  it.  Messrs.  Waite, 
Harlan,  Field,  Miller,  Bradley,  and  Woods,  and 
ex-Judges   Strong  and   Swayne  were  present. 

The  procession  was  formed  with  President  Hayes 
and  President-elect  Garfield  at  the  head,  and  pro- 
ceeded through  the  corridor  and  rotunda  to  the  east 


IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  399 

front,  where  the  platform  was  erected  from  which  the 
vast  assemblage  would  listen  to  the  inaugural  address. 
When  the  dignitaries  with  their  families  were  finally 
arranged,  silence  was  maintained  for  a  few  moments 
that  the  group  might  be  photographed.  Then  Mr. 
Garfield  stepped  to  the  front  and  delivered  his  noble 
inaugural  address,  in  tones  so  clear  and  eloquent  that 
the  multitude,  even  in  the  distance,  heard.  Before  he 
closed  his  address  the  clouds  broke  above  him,  and 
pure  sunlight  fell  in  benediction  on  his  head.  As  he 
concluded.  Judge  Waite,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  pre- 
sented the  Bible  to  him  on  which  the  Presidents  are 
sworn,  and  proceeded  to  administer  the  oath.  At  the 
conclusion.  President  Garfield  reverently  kissed  the 
sacred  volume,  and  returned  it  to  the  judge.  Then, 
turning  to  his  aged  mother,  who  had  wept  tears  of  joy 
during  the  delivery  of  his  address,  he  imprinted  a  kiss 
upon  her  cheek,  and  another  upon  that  of  his  wife, 
the  two  persons,  next  to  himself,  most  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  transaction  of  that  memorable  hour. 
The  President  and  his  attendants  withdrew  amidst 
the  wildest  demonstrations  of  joy  by  the  concourse 
of  people. 

Immediately  followed  the  imposing  military  and 
civic  procession,  which  was  said  to  be  more  elaborate 
and  grand  than  anything  of  the  kind  ever  witnessed 
in  the  capital  of  the  nation.  It  was  three  hours 
passing  a  given  point,  and  was  reviewed  by  Presi- 
dent Garfield  from  a  stand  erected  in  front  of  the 
presidential  mansion. 

An  eye-witness  describes  the  scene  as  follows : 
"One  hundred   thousand  people  stood  in    Pennsyl- 


400  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

vania  avenue,  between  the  Treasury  and  the  Capitol 
grounds,  and  gave  acclaim  to  Garfield  as  he  passed. 
The  buildings  were  splendidly  decorated.  There  was 
a  flag  and  a  dozen  fluttering  handkerchiefs  at  every 
window.  All  vehicles  were  excluded  from  the  avenue, 
and  the  people  hemmed  in  the  procession  ten  deep  on 
each  side. 

"  The  route  was  around  the  south  side  of  the  Capitol 
to  Pennsylvania  avenue,  thence  to  the  Treasury 
department,  and  so  on  past  the  White  House.  During 
the  time  between  twelve  and  half-past  one  o'clock, 
Pennsylvania  avenue  presented  a  remarkable  sight, 
either  from  the  Treasury  department  or  the  Capitol. 
The  crowd  was  continuous  from  First  to  Fifteenth 
street,  and,  as  the  time  for  the  procession  to  move 
approached,  the  crowd  increased  so  that  there  seemed 
hardly  room  for  the  military  column  to  enter.  The 
movement  was  promptly  at  one  o'clock,  the  programme 
being  well  carried  out.  The  regular  troops  led  the 
way  with  Sherman  at  their  head.  Behind  Sherman 
were  three  four-horse  carriages,  containing  Presidents 
Garfield  and  Hayes,  Vice-Presidents  Arthur  and 
Wheeler,  and  Senators  Pendleton  and  Bayard.  In 
addition  to  the  Cleveland  troop,  General  Garfield  was 
attended  by  the  Columbia  Commandery  of  Knights 
Templars  of  this  city,  of  which  he  is  a  member. 
When  the  head  of  the  procession  reached  the  Treasury 
department,  the  avenue,  for  its  whole  mile  length,  was 
literally  packed  with  people.  There  was  a  pause  at 
this  point  to  enable  the  President  to  leave  the  column 
and  proceed  to  the  grand  stand  in  front  of  the  White 
House,  where  he  stood  hours  in  witnessing  the  passage 


IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  40 1 

of  the  great  military  and  civic  concourse,  which  was 
over  three  hours  in  passing  a  given  point.  The  route 
was  then  continued  up  Pennsylvania  avenue  to 
Washington  circle,  along  K  street  to  Vermont  avenue, 
and  past  the  Thomas  statue  down  Massachusetts 
avenue  to  Mount  Vernon  square,  where  the  procession 
finally  dispersed." 

After  the  review,  President  Garfield  gave  a  reception 
to  the  Williams'  Alumni  Association  of  Washington, 
and  visiting  alumni,  in  the  East  Room  of  the  Execu- 
tive Mansion.  Over  fifty  were  present,  twenty  of 
whom  were  the  President's  classmates  whom  he  met 
on  the  previous  evening.  Ex-President  Hopkins  was 
among  the  number,  and  he  was  selected  to  present 
the  congratulations  of  the  alumni  to  the  president. 
The  latter  responded  with  much  emotion  to  Dr. 
Hopkins'  words  of  confidence  and  esteem  ;  and  his 
brief  but  eloquent  speech  will  long  be  remembered  by 
the  sons  of  his  Alma  Mater. 

The  day  closed  with  a  costly  display  of  fireworks, 
illuminations,  and  other  demonstrations  of  general  joy  ; 
and  President  Garfield  and  his  family  were  occupants 
of  the  White  House. 

Perhaps  no  President  ever  assumed  the  duties  of  his 
high  office  under  more  favorable  auspices  than  Mr. 
Garfield.  The  announcement  of  his  cabinet  gave 
general  satisfaction  ;  and  the  citizens  from  Maine  to 
California  appeared  to  feel  that  he  would  be  President, 
and  not  some  one  else.  His  administration  thus  began 
favorably,  with  the  expectations  of  the  people  on  tiptoe, 
and  their  confidence  as  honest  as  their  hopefulness. 
The  brilliant  record  of  his  public  life,  and  even  the 


402  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

remarkable  record  of  his  youth  and  early  manhood, 
were  well  known  throughout  the  country  ;  and  upon 
these  the  enthusiasm  of  his  constituents  and  others 
rested.  That  personal  magnetism  which  drew  the 
associates  of  his  early  life  to  him,  and  the  admirers  of 
his  later  life,  in  public  and  in  private,  seemed  to  attract 
the  hearts  of  American  citizens,  from  the  moment  he 
became  the  Chief  Executive. 

There  was  one  trouble,  however,  which  he  encoun- 
tered early  in  his  administration,  and  which  arose  within 
his  own  party.  In  making  a  nomination  of  the  collector 
of  customs  at  the  port  of  New  York,  the  President 
found  the  senators  of  that  state,  especially  Mr.  Conk- 
ling,  opposed  to  his  choice.  Those  senators  main- 
tained that  the  act  of  the  President  was  a  wrong  to 
the  collector  who  was  to  be  removed,  was  contrary  to 
the  true  principles  of  civil  service,  and  would  be  hurt- 
ful to  the  interests  of  the  Republican  party.  It  was, 
accordingly,  well  understood  that  they  were  firmly 
opposed  to  the  nomination,  and  would  use  their  influ- 
ence against  it  whenever  it  should  be  voted  on  in  the 
senate.  President  Garfield,  however,  adhered  to  his 
choice.  He  claimed  that,  while  the  senators  from 
New  York  had  a  perfect  moral  right  to  their  opinions, 
and  a  clear  constitutional  right  to  exert  themselves 
for  the  defeat  of  his  nominee,  he,  in  turn,  must  be  the 
judge  concerning  his  own  acts.  He  therefore  refused 
to  withdraw  the  nomination,  affirming  that  the  act 
was  just,  and  for  the  welfare  of  both  the  country  and 
the  party.  So  the  contest  became  more  and  more 
serious.  Senators  Conkling  and  Piatt  saw  fit  sud- 
denly to  resign  their  seats.     The  scene  of  action  was 


IN  THE  WHITE  HOUSE.  403 

thus  transferred  to  the  legislature  at  Albany,  where 
the  two  senators  became  candidates  for  re-election. 
But  after  many  weeks  of  bitter  contention,  the  strife 
was  ended  by  the  defeat  of  the  senators,  and  the 
election,  in  their  place,  of  others,  who  were  in  accord 
with  the  administration.  The  nomination  of  the  col- 
lector was  confirmed  in  the  senate  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing vote.  In  many  respects,  it  was  a  signal  triumph 
for  the  President.  In  it,  all  the  people  and  press  of 
the  country  were,  with  remarkable  unanimity,  on  his 
side. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 


ASSASSINATION. 

HILE  the  contest  was  going  on  in  the  New 
York  legislature  over  Senator  Conkling's 
re-election,  an  attempt  was  made  upon  the 
President's  life,  which  startled  and  shocked 
the  nation.  He  had  arranged  a  journey  to  New  Eng- 
land, for  the  purpose  of  attending  the  Commencement 
at  Williams  College,  Williamstown,  Mass.  ;  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  American  Institute  of  Instruction  at 
St.  Albans,  Vt.  ;  extending  his  trip  into  Maine,  where 
he  would  be  the  guest  of  Mr.  Blaine,  Secretary  of 
State ;  thence  into  New  Hampshire,  in  response  to  an 
invitation  by  the  legislature  of  that  state,  then  in 
session  ;  returning  through  Boston  to  Washington  ; 
hoping  thereby  to  recruit  his  somewhat  exhausted 
energies  by  a  brief  respite  from  official  duties. 
On  Saturday  morning,  July  2,  he  left  the  Execu- 
tive Mansion  at  a  few  minutes  past  nine  o'clock,  in 
his  carriage  with  Secretary  Blaine,  for  the  Baltimore 
and  Potomac  Railroad  Depot.  At  twenty  minutes 
past  nine  o'clock  he  entered  the  depot,  arm  in  arm 
with  Mr.  Blaine,  when  two  pistol-shots  were  fired  in 
quick  succession,  the  first  one  sending  a  ball  through 
404 


ASSASSINATION.  405 


the  right  coat-sleeve  of  the  President,  doing  no  damage, 
the  second  one  driving  a  ball  deep  into  his  body  above 
the  third  rib.  The  unexpected  shot  well-nigh  para- 
lyzed the  bystanders.  Mr.  Blaine  turned  to  seize  the 
assassin,  but  found  him  already  in  the  hands  of  an 
officer.  As  he  turned  back,  the  President  sank  heavily 
upon  the  floor,  and  the  fearful  tidings  spread  through 
the  city  :  "  The  President  has  been  assassinated  !  "  The 
telegraphic  wires  took  up  the  terrible  news  and  con- 
veyed it  over  the  country,  startling  every  town,  village, 
and  hamlet  as  they  never  were  startled  except  by  the 
assassination  ci  President  Lincoln.  By  twelve  o'clock, 
the  entire  country  was  apprised  of  the  appalling  calam- 
ity, except  in  sections  beyond  the  reach  of  telegraphs 
and  telephones.  The  dreadful  news  flashed  over  the 
Atlantic  cable,  astounding  and  affecting  Europeans 
almost  as  sensibly  as  it  did  Americans.  Surprise  and 
grief  were  universal.  "It  was  a  marvellous  tribute," 
said  George  William  Curtis.  ''In  Europe,  it  was 
respect  for  a  powerful  state ;  in  America,  it  was  affec- 
tion for  a  simple  and  manly  character."  The  deed  was 
done  "  in  the  most  peaceful  and  prosperous  moment 
that  this  country  has  known  for  half  a  century,"  as 
Mr.  Curtis  wrote  ;  "and  the  shot  was  fired  absolutely 
at  a  man  without  personal  enemies,  and  a  President 
whom  even  his  political  opponents  respect."  The 
manifestations  of  unfeigned  sorrow  were  gauged  by 
this  remarkable  fact.  The  South  seemed  to  vie  with 
the  North  in  profound  grief  over  the  fearful  crime  and 
heartfelt  sympathy  for  the  illustrious  sufferer.  In  their 
dire  extremity  and  deep  sorrow,  Christian  men  and 
women,  led  by  the  ministers  of  religion,  gathered  in 


4o6  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

places  of  prayer,  to  invoke,  upon  their  knees  and  in 
tears,  the  interposition  of  God,  to  save  and  restore 
their  beloved  ruler.  Around  Christian  hearthstones 
knelt  family  groups,  tearful  and  hushed  as  if  a  great 
personal  sorrow  were  theirs,  to  join  in  fervent  sup- 
plication to  God  for  the  preservation  of  the  Presi- 
dent's life.  Perhaps  so  much  united,  earnest  prayer 
for  one  man,  ascending  from  even  the  remotest  ham- 
let of  the  nation,  was  never  offered  at  the  throne  of 
grace. 

But  to  return  to  the  wounded  President.  Physicians 
and  surgeons  were  speedily  summoned ;  and,  within 
an  hour,  he  was  removed  to  the  White  House  in  an 
extremely  prostrated  and  critical  condition.  The 
presidential  party,  consisting  of  Secretaries  Lincoln, 
Windom  and  Hunt,  and  Postmaster-General  James, 
with  their  wives,  were  already  seated  in  the  special  car 
provided  for  them,  when  the  cry  reached  them,  *'The 
President  is  shot."  At  first  they  could  not  credit  the 
tidinors :  the  crime  was  too  awful  to  be  believed.  As 
soon  as  they  recovered  from  the  shock,  however,  and 
were  really  convinced  that  an  attempt  had  been  made 
to  assassinate  the  President,  they  abandoned  the  car 
and  repaired  to  the  executive  mansion,  to  render  all 
possible  assistance. 

The  President  was  still  conscious  while  prostrate 
upon  the  floor  at  the  depot,  and  fearing  that  the  intel- 
ligence of  his  injury  might  overcome  his  wife  in  her 
feeble  state  of  health,  he  dictated  to  Colonel  Rockwell, 
who  was  at  his  side,  the  following  despatch  to  her  at 
Long  Branch  :  — 


ASSASSINATION,  407 

Mrs.  Garfield^  Elberoti^  New  Jersey: 

The  President  wishes  me  to  say  to  you  from  him  that  he  has 
been  seriously  hurt  —  how  seriously  he  cannot  yet  say.  He  is 
himself,  and  hopes  you  will  come  to  him  soon.  He  sends  his 
love  to  you.  A.  F.  Rockwell. 

It  should  be  stated  that  Mrs.  "Garfield  was  recover- 
ing from  a  severe  sickness  of  several  weeks,  and  a 
few  days  before,  the  President  accompanied  her  to 
Long  Branch  to  hasten  her  restoration.  Her  life  was 
despaired  of  for  a  time,  and  her  husband's  watchful 
and  tender  care  of  her,  night  and  day,  when  her  life 
hung  quivering  in  the  balance,  in  connection  with 
official  duties,  made  a  heavy  draft  upon  his  strength. 

By  the  time  the  ambulance  reached  the  White 
House,  soldiers  from  the  garrison  at  the  Arsenal 
were  performing  sentinel  duty  there,  that  the  police- 
men might  be  at  their  respective  posts  of  duty  in  the 
city,  where  the  excitement  was  intense.  A  corre- 
spondent of  the  New  York  Times,  who  was  an  eye- 
witness, said,  that  when  the  President  "  was  ten- 
derly lifted  from  the  vehicle  with  the  pallor  of  death 
stamped  upon  his  countenance,  glancing  up  to  the 
window,  he  saw  some  familiar  faces,  and  with  a  smile 
which  those  who  saw  it  will  never  forget,  he  raised 
his  right  hand  and  gave  the  military  salute,  which 
seemed  to  say,  *  Long  live  the  republic'  " 

Soon  after  the  President  was  laid  upon  his  bed  in 
the  presidential  mansion,  his  nervous  prostration 
passed  away  and  he  became  composed  and  cheerful, 
greeting  members  of  his  cabinet,  and  other  intimate 
friends  present,  with  a  cordial  pressure  of  the  hand 
and  words  of  cheer.     He  was  so  much  like  himself, 


408  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

genial,  calm  and  hopeful,  that  both  friends  and  phy- 
sicians thought  it  was  the  harbinger  of  recovery. 
Once  he  said  to  Mr.  Blaine,  who  was  sitting  at  his 
bedside,  "  Wliat  motive  do  you  think  that  man  could 
have  in  trying  to  assassinate  me  ? "  Mr.  Blaine 
answered,  "I  do  not  know,  Mr.  President.  He  says 
he  had  no  motive.  He  must  be  insane."  The  Pres- 
ident responded  to  this,  with  a  smile,  "  I  suppose  he 
thought  it  would  be  a  glorious  thing  to  emulate  the 
pirate  chief."  At  another  time  his  son  James  was 
sobbing  at  his  bedside,  when  he  addressed  him  lov- 
ingly, "  Don't  be  alarmed,  Jimmy ;  the  upper  story 
is  all  right  ;  it  is  only  the  hull  that  is  a  little  dam- 
aged." He  was  somewhat  impatient  for  the  arrival 
of  his  wife,  as  were  all  the  friends  present,  and  when 
Colonel  Rockwell  announced  that  she  had  left  Long 
Branch  on  a  special  train,  he  responded  with  much 
emotion,  "  God  bless  the  dear  woman  !  I  hope  the 
shock  will  not  break  her  down."  Dr.  Bliss  stated, 
that  often,  during  the  afternoon,  he  became  even 
jocular,  conversing  more  than  the  physicians  thought 
for  his  good,  but  doing  it,  evidently,  to  encourage  the 
depressed  friends  around  him.  He  told  Dr.  Bliss 
that  he  desired  to  be  kept  accurately  informed  about 
his  condition.  "  Conceal  nothing  from  me,"  he  said, 
"for,  remember,  I  am  not  afraid  to  die."  About  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  evidence  of  internal 
hemorrhage  became  unmistakable,  and  it  was  feared 
he  might  not  live  until  Mrs.  Garfield  arrived.  Dr. 
Bliss  and  his  medical  associates  were  making  an  ex- 
amination, when  he  inquired  what  the  prospects  were. 
"  Are  they  bad,   doctor  ?     Don't  be   afraid ;   tell  me 


A  SSA  SSINA  TION.  409 

frankly.  I  am  ready  for  the  worst."  "Mr.  Pres- 
ident," answered  Dr.  B.,  "  your  condition  is  extremely 
critical.  I  do  not  think  you  can  live  many  hours." 
The  President  calmly  and  seriously  responded,  *'  God's 
will  be  done,  doctor  !  I  am  ready  to  go,  if  my  time 
has  come." 

The  despatch  of  the  President  to  his  wife,  dictated 
at  the  depot,  did  not  disclose  the  nature  of  the 
wound.  Other  dispatches  to  other  parties  advised 
keeping  her  in  ignorance  of  the  real  condition  of  her 
husband.  But  when  Judge-Advocate-General  Swaim 
of  the  army,  who  was  at  the  Elberon  House,  Long 
Branch,  received  a  telegram  in  advance  of  that  sent 
by  the  President,  he  approached  Mrs.  Garfield  with 
the  design  of  partially  breaking  the  news  only,  and 
starting  her  off  as  speedily  as  possible  to  Washington. 
But  the  moment  he  entered  the  room  and  drew  near 
to  her,  she  inquired,  with  apparent  anxiety,  "  What  is 
the  matter.?"  as  if  she  read  bad  news  in  his  coun- 
tenance. "  The  President  has  met  with  an  accident," 
he  answered.  "  Is  he  dead  t "  Mrs.  Garfield  re- 
sponded at  once.  "  No  !  "  was  all  the  answer  he 
could  make  before  she  inquired,  **  What  was  the  acci- 
dent } "  "  I  think  he  was  shot,"  replied  General 
Swaim.  "  I  think  he  must  have  been  fooling  with  a 
pistol,  and  doubtless  he  shot  himself.  I  can't  think 
it  is  anything  very  serious."  Mrs.  Garfield  said,  with 
animation,  as  if  suspecting  that  he  was  concealing  the 
truth,  "  It  is  impossible  that  he  could  have  shot  him- 
self. He  has  been  shot.  Tell  me  the  truth." 
Seeing  that  it  was  useless  to  evade  her  questions. 
Judge  Swaim  told  her  the  story  so  far  as  he  knew  it. 


4IO  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

Mrs.  Garfield  received  the  truth  with  the  composure 
of  a  true  Christian,  and  at  once  gave  orders  to  her 
attendants  about  packing.  General  Swaim  said,  "  No 
executive  officer  of  a  ship  could  have  prepared  for 
action  more  speedily  and  directly  than  did  Mrs.  Gar- 
field prepare  for  her  departure  to  Washington." 

A  special  train  started  with  her  at  12.30;  and  but 
for  an  accident  twenty  miles  from  Washington,  she 
would  have  been  with  her  husband  at  six  o'clock. 
As  it  was,  going  at  the  rate  of  from  forty  to  fifty 
miles  an  hour,  she  was  at  the  White  House  before 
seven  o'clock.  Her  excitement  and  protracted  fast 
caused  her  to  partially  faint,  as  her  son  Harry  and 
other  friends  helped  her  from  the  carriage  and  up  the 
steps  ;  and  it  was  thought  best  for  her  to  take  some 
tea  and  food  before  meeting  her  husband.  But  before 
she  accomplished  this  purpose,  word  was  brought  to 
Colonel  Rockwell,  who  had  accompanied  her  to  the 
dining-hall,  that  the  President  was  fast  sinking,  and 
Mrs.  Garfield  must  hurry  to  him  at  once.  The  Pres- 
ident had  repeatedly  asked,  during  the  afternoon, 
"What  time  is  it.''"  "Do  you  know  where  the  train 
is,  now  .-* "  "  How  long  before  my  wife  will  reach 
here  }  "  And  when  the  carriage  drove  to  the  door, 
hearing  it,  he  remarked,  "That's  my  wife."  Evi- 
dently he  thought  that  a  very  narrow  margin  of  time 
was  left  for  what  might  prove  their  final  meeting. 

It  was  clear  that  Mrs.  Garfield  summoned  all  her 
force  of  character  to  enable  her  to  meet  her  husband 
with  a  cheerful  and  hopeful  heart.  It  was  evident, 
also,  that  he  did  the  same.  The  room  was  cleared, 
physicians  and  all  attendants  going  out,  that  Mrs.  Gar- 


A  SSA  SSINA  TION.  4 1 1 

field  and  her  children  might  meet  him  alone.  Their 
interview  lasted  fifteen  minutes,  when  physicians  and 
attendants  were  readmitted.  The  communion  of 
loving  hearts  in  those  fifteen  minutes  is  known  only 
to  them  and  their  God,  The  history  of  it  never  was 
printed.  No  reporter  ever  presumed  to  lift  the 
veil,  and  divulge  the  secrets  of  that  quarter  of  an 
hour.  No  one  desired  to  do  it.  With  tearful  eyes 
and  burdened  hearts,  tens  of  thousands,  in  loving 
and  tender  sympathy  with  the  devoted  wife,  were 
satisfied  to  say,  "  Thank  God  for  that  meeting  !  " 

From  that  moment,  the  President  seemed  to  rally. 
Their  mutual  love,  confidence  and  fortitude  appeared 
to  assure  each  other.  The  two  most  hopeful  and  res- 
olute persons  in  the  White  House,  from  that  time, 
were  the  President  and  his  wife.  They  put  courage 
and  hopefulness  into  everybody  else.  **  Wipe  away 
your  tears,  if  you  are  going  in  there,"  said  Mrs.  Gar- 
field to  her  daughter  Mollie,  as  she  met  her  at  the 
door.  This  noble  spirit  was  assuring  to  all  who  came 
in  contact  with  them. 

A  little  later,  the  President  said  to  Mrs.  James, 
who  sat  by  him,  "  Do  you  know  where  Mrs.  Garfield  is 
now  i 

"  Oh,  yes,"  Mrs.  James  said,  "she  is  close  by,  watch- 
ing and  praying  for  her  husband." 

He  looked  up  to  the  lady  with  an  anxious  face, 
and  said,  "  I  want  her  to  go  to  bed.  Will  you  tell 
her  that  I  say,  if  she  will  undress  and  go  to  bed, 
I  will  turn  right  over,  and  I  feel  sure  that  when  I 
know  she  is  in  bed  I  can  go  to  sleep,  and  sleep 
all    night  ?      Tell   her,"    he    exclaimed,    with    sudden 


412  LOG-CABIX  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

energy,  **  that  I  will  sleep  all  night,  if  she  will  only 
do  what  I  ask." 

Mrs.  James  conveyed  the  message  to  Mrs.  Garfield, 
who  said  to  her  at  once,  "  Go  back,  and  tell  him  that  I 
am  undressing." 

She  returned  with  the  answer,  and  the  President 
turned  over  on  his  right  side,  and  dropped  into  a  quiet 
sleep  almost  instantly. 

An  hour  later,  the  President  said  to  Dr.  Bliss, 
"  What  are  the  indications  }  "  Dr.  Bliss  answered, 
"There  is  a  chance  of  recovery."  "Well,  then,"  re- 
sponded the  President,  cheerfully,  **  we  will  take  that 
chance." 

Sunday,  July  3,  was  a  day  of  anxiety  and  tears  to 
the  American  people.  The  churches  were  filled  with 
mourning  thousands,  and  the  burden  of  sermons  and 
prayers  was  the  great  sorrow  that  had  fallen  upon  the 
nation.  July  4  was  such  an  independence  day  as  the 
country  never  saw.  No  one  had  a  heart  to  engage  in 
the  festivities  of  the  day.  Many  well-arranged  celebra- 
tions were  abandoned.  George  William  Curtis  spoke 
eloquently  and  touchingly  of  the  day,  as  follows  :  — 

"  But  the  emotion  and  the  spectacle  of  this  year  are 
without  parallel.  In  every  household  there  was  a 
hushed  and  tender  silence,  as  if  one  dearly  loved  lay 
dying.  In  every  great  city  and  retired  village  the  pub- 
lic festivities  were  stayed,  and  the  assembly  of  joy 
and  pride  and  congratulation  was  solemnized  into  a 
reverent  congregation  of  heads  bowed  in  prayer.  In 
foreign  countries,  American  gayety  was  suspended. 
In  the  British  Parliament,  Whig  and  Tory  and  Radical 
listened  to  catch  from  the  lips  of  the  Prime  Minister 


A  SSA  SSINA  TION.  4 1 3 

the  latest  tidings  frcm  one  sufferer.  From  the  French 
republic,  and  from  the  old  empire  of  Japan,  and  the 
new  kingdom  of  Bulgaria,  from  Parnell,  the  Irish  agi- 
tator, and  from  the  Lord  Mayor  of  Dublin,  came  mes- 
sages of  sympathy  and  sorrow.  Sovereigns  and 
princes,  the  people  and  the  nobles,  joined  in  earnest 
hope  for  the  life  of  the  Republican  President.  The 
press  of  all  Christendom  told  the  mournful  story,  and 
moralized  as  it  told.  In  this  country,  the  popular  grief 
was  absolutely  unanimous.  One  tender,  overpowering 
thought  called  a  truce  even  to  party  contention.  Old 
and  young,  men  and  women  of  all  nationalities  and 
of  all  preferences,  their  differences  forgotten,  waited 
all  day  for  news,  watched  the  flags  and  every  sign  that 
might  be  significant,  and  lay  down,  praying,  to  sleep, 
thanking  God  that,  as  yet,  the  worst  had  not  come." 
But  the  assassin — how  about  him  .^  His  name  is 
Charles  J.  Guiteau,  an  eccentric,  pettifogging  lawyer, 
about  forty  years  of  age,  of  a  weak,  disordered  mind, 
who  had  tried  in  vain  to  get  an  appointment  to  a 
foreign  consulate.  In  his  chagrin,  poverty  and  disap- 
pointment, as  some  suppose,  reason  was  partially  de- 
throned, and  he  committed  the  crime  in  his  despera- 
tion. Others  suppose  that,  since  he  sympathized  with 
Mr.  Conkling  and  Vice-President  Arthur,  in  their 
opposition  to  the  Garfield  administration,  relating  to 
the  New  York  appointment,  he  made  himself  believe 
that.  President  Garfield  out  of  the  way,  and  Mr.  Ar- 
thur in  his  place,  the  appointment  could  readily  be 
secured.  Be  that  as  it  may,  he  coolly  perpetrated  the 
deed,  and  within  an  hour  was  safely  lodged  in  the  Dis- 
trict jail. 


4T4  LOG-CABTN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

Detective  JMcElfresh,  who  took  the  prisoner  to  jail, 
reports  the  following  conversation  with  him,  while 
being  conducted  thither  :  — 

"  I  asked  him,  *  Where  are  you  from  ?  * 

"  *  I  am  a  native-born  American  —  born  in  Chicago 
—  and  am  a  lawyer  and  a  theologian.' 

"  *  Why  did  you  do  this  ? ' 

" '  I  did  it  to  save  the  Republican  party.* 

"  *  What  are  your  politics  } ' 

''  *  I  am  a  stalwart  among  the  stalwarts.  With  Gar- 
field out  of  the  way,  we  can  carry  all  the  Northern 
States  ;  and  with  him  in  the  way,  we  can't  carry  a 
single  one.'  " 

Upon  learning  that  McElfresh  was  a  detective, 
Guiteau  said  :  **  You  stick  to  me,  and  have  me  put  in 
the  third  story,  front,  at  the  jail.  General  Sherman 
is  coming  down  to  take  charge.  Arthur  and  all  those 
men  are  my  friends,  and  I'll  have  you  made  Chief  of 
Police.  When  you  go  back  to  the  depot,  you  will 
find  that  I  left  two  bundles  of  papers  at  the  news- 
stand, which  will  explain  all." 

"  Is  there  anybody  else  with  you  in  this  matter  ? " 

"  Not  a  living  soul.  I  have  contemplated  the 
thing  for  the  last  six  weeks,  and  would  have  shot 
him  when  he  went  away  with  Mrs.  Garfield,  but  I 
looked  at  her,  and  she  looked  so  bad  that  I  changed 
my  mind." 

The  following  letter  was  found  in  the  street  soon 
after  his  arrest,  unsealed,  and  the  envelope  addressed 
thus  :  '•  Please  deliver  at  once  to  General  Sherman, 
or  his  first  assistant  in  charge  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment :  — 


ASSASS/NA  T/ON.  4 1 5 

"  To  General  Sherman  : 

"I  have  just  shot  the  President.  I  shot  him  several  time?;,  as 
I  wished  him  to  go  as  easily  as  possible.  His  death  was  apolitical 
necessity.  I  am  a  lawyer,  theologian  and  politician.  I  am  a 
stalwart  of  the  stalwarts.  I  was  with  General  Grant  and  the 
rest  of  our  men  in  New  York  during  the  canvass.  I  am  going  to 
the  jail.  Please  order  out  your  troops  and  take  possession  of  the 
jail  at  once.  Very  respectfully, 

Charles  Guiteau." 

The  profound  sympathy  and  sorrow  of  the  people 
of  this  and  other  countries  was  manifested  by  tele- 
grams from  every  quarter,  letters  of  condolence,  and 
resolutions  of  public  bodies  and  organizations,  con- 
veying to  the  President  expressions  of  grief  and 
prayer  for  his  recovery.  They  were  received  by  hun- 
dreds in  a  day,  for  a  time.  Hon.  B.  R.  Bruce,  late 
member  of  Congress  from  Mississippi,  and  now  register, 
received  hundreds  of  letters  and  telegrams  from  Mis- 
sissippi, from  both  Republicans  and  Democrats,  de- 
nouncing the  attempt  upon  the  President's  life,  and 
expressing  sincere  hopes  of  his  recovery.  The  Vicks- 
burg  Herald  (Miss.)  accompanied  its  words  of  sym- 
pathy with  this  statement:  "No  President  since  the 
war  has  so  gained  on  the  good  feeling  of  the  Southern 
people  as  President  Garfield."  In  Arkansas,  the  four- 
teenth day  of  July  was  observed  as  a  day  of  fasting 
and  prayer  for  the  recovery  of  President  Garfield,  the 
day  having  been  appointed  by  Governor  Churchill. 
Governor  Blackburn  of  Kentucky  also  appointed  the 
fourteenth  day  of  July,  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer 
for  the  same  object,  and  the  day  was  very  generally 
observed.     The   Queen  of  England,    King  of   Spain, 


4l6  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


King  of  Belgium,  Emperors  of  Russia,  Japan  and 
China,  and  Germany,  and  other  foreign  rulers,  sent 
despatches  full  of  sorrow  and  expressions  of  good- 
will. Some  of  them  repeated  their  telegrams  on 
receipt  of  more  favorable  news  respecting  the  Presi- 
dent's recovery.     Victoria  said  :  — 

"  I  wish  to  express  my  great  satisfaction  at  the  very  favorable 
accounts  of  the  President,  and  hope  that  he  will  soon  be  consid- 
ered out  of  danger." 

Even  the  Indians  of  our  country,  in  whose  welfare 
the  President  had  been  so  deeply  interested,  were 
profoundly  touched  by  the  appalling  news  ;  and  on 
receipt  of  the  intelligence  that  hopes  of  his  recovery 
were  entertained,  Moses,  the  chief  of  the  Confederate 
tribes  of  Washington  Territory,  sent  the  following :  — 

"Tell  the  Great  Chief  at  Washington  that  it  makes  our  hearts 
sad  to  hear  of  the  cowardly  attempt  made  on  his  life.  Chief 
Moses  and  all  of  his  people  offer  their  warmest  sympathy  to  the 
Great  Father  and  his  family.  He  has  always  been  a  good  friend 
to  the  Indians.  We  are  glad  to  hear  that  he  is  recovering,  and 
hope  his  life  may  be  spared." 

All  classes,  parties  and  sects,  except  some  Mormons 
and  Socialists,  appeared  to  feel  deeply  the  calamity 
to  the  nation,  and  to  indulge  the  most  heartfelt  desire 
that  the  President's  life  might  be  spared.  It  was  a 
demonstration  of  esteem  and  confidence,  as  honorable 
to  the  citizens  of  our  country  as  it  must  have  been 
grateful  to  the  President  and  his  family.  The  patri- 
otic woids  of  the  illustrious  sufferer,  in  the  outbreak 
of  the  late  "War  of  the  Rebellion,"  have  peculiar 
significance    now  to  every  thoughtful  American  :  "  I 


A  SSA  SS/NA  TION.  4 1 7 


regard  my  life  as  given  to  my  country.  I  am  only 
anxious  to  make  as  much  of  it  as  possible,  before  the 
mortgage  on  it  is  foreclosed." 

The  gloom  of  our  National  Independence  was  some- 
what lifted  by  the  more  favorable  condition  of  the  Presi- 
dent. From  that  time  he  slowly  but  steadily  gained,  all 
the  while  being  buoyant  in  spirits,  and  feeling  that  his 
recovery  was  assured.  Twice  he  experienced  serious  re- 
lapses, during  the  first  five  or  six  weeks  of  his  sickness, 
going  down  to  the  very  brink  of  death,  causing  general 
alarm  and  sorrow  everywhere.  From  these  relapses 
he  rallied,  to  suffer  on,  while  the  sympathies  of  his  de- 
voted countrymen  were  drawn  out  more  and  more,  and 
their  prayers  for  his  recovery  went  up  to  heaven  with 
increasing  fervor. 

But  another  and  still  more  serious  relapse  awaited 
him  on  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  August,  destroying 
the  hopes  of  the  physicians  and  attending  friends. 
The  bullet-wound  was  doing  well,  discharging  healthy 
pus  freely ;  but  an  ugly  abscess,  occasioned  by  pus- 
poisoning,  appeared  upon  the  neck,  and  the  stomach 
ceased  to  assimilate  or  retain  food.  At  4  o'clock 
p.  M.,  on  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  August,  he  appeared 
to  be  rapidly  sinking.  He  was  unconscious,  and 
breathed  heavily,  like  one  suffering  in  the  last  stages 
of  apoplexy.  A  consultation  of  the  doctors  resulted 
in  the  decision  that  the  last  ray  of  hope  had  vanished, 
and  a  few  hours  more  would  put  the  seal  of  death 
upon  all  that  was  mortal  of  the  illustrious  President. 
Two  of  the  medical  attendants  were  delegated  to 
break  the  sad  conclusion  to  Mrs.  Garfield,  whose  ex- 
pectation of  his  recovery  had  scarcely  been  eclipsed. 


41 8  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 


It  was  an  hour  of  dreadful  depression  in  the  Executive 
Mansion,  and  few  were  the  eyes  that  refused  to  weep. 
The  doctors  dreaded  to  bear  the  terrible  message  to  Mrs. 
Garfield,  —  a  message  that  would  dash  her  last  hope, 
and  possibly  overcome  her  hitherto  trusting  and  heroic 
spirit.  What  was  their  surprise,  however,  to  find  that  her 
truly  noble  soul  was  equal  to  the  occasion,  and  seemed 
to  rise  higher  and  grander  upon  the  wings  of  faith  ! 

That  was  a  desolate  night  in  Washington  —  Friday 
of  August  twenty-sixth  —  and  the  mourners  went 
about  the  streets,  or  lay  sleepless  in  their  beds.  The 
general  expectation  was,  that  the  pall  of  death  would 
rest  upon  the  White  House  before  another  rising  sun. 
About  two  o'clock  on  Saturday  morning,  the  President, 
aroused  from  his  unconscious  state,  and  seeing  his 
wife  watching  at  his  bedside,  spoke  feebly,  "  Go  to 
bed,  my  dear,  and  try  to  get  some  rest."  She  pleaded 
to  remain,  when  he  responded,  "  Is  it  true  that  we 
shall  be  separated  so  soon }  You'd  better  stay, 
then." 

Morning  brought  no  relief,  except  that  the  patient 
still  lived.  Telegraphic  despatches  had  borne  the 
tidings  over  the  land —  "no  hope  !"  In  many  local- 
ities the  report  of  the  President's  death  was  current. 
The  Atlantic  cable  bore  such  a  message  to  Great 
Britain,  and  a  notice  of  his  death,  with  a  biographical 
sketch,  appeared  in  a  Liverpool  daily  on  Saturday. 
The  queen  was  deeply  affected  by  this  unexpected 
relapse,  and  immediately  sent  a  cablegram  to  Mrs. 
Garfield :  "  I  am  most  deeply  grieved  at  the  sad  news 
received,  and  would  express  my  sincere  sympathy." 
She  knew  full  well  the  anguish  of   that  loving  heart, 


A  SSA  SSINA  TION.  4 1 9 


whose  idol  was  apparently  to  be  removed,  for  she  had 
been  in  that  vale  of  sorrow  herself,  the  memory  of 
which  was  still  fresh  and  vivid.  She  broke  through 
the  barriers  of  royalty  and  addressed  herself  directly 
to  Mrs.  Garfield,  as  one  mourning  widow  speaks  to  a 
sister  about  to  become  like  herself.  It  was  the  warm, 
tender  hand-grasp  of  real  sympathy  across  the  sea,  for 
which  the  nation  itself  is  glad.     Long  live  the  queen  ! 

On  Saturday,  the  churches  of  Washington  consulted 
together,  through  representatives,  and  it  was  decided 
to  observe  the  following  day  as  one  of  fasting  and 
prayer  in  behalf  of  the  President,  who  still  lived. 
Christians  felt  that,  since  human  care  and  medical  skill 
were  exhausted,  and  the  wisest  counsellors  had  said 
**  we  can  do  no  more,"  it  was  time  for  believers  in 
prayer  to  gather  in  their  places  of  worship,  and  implore 
God  to  interpose  and  spare  the  patient,  whom  medical 
science  could  not  save.  Telegrams  were  flashed  over 
the  country,  inviting  Christians  of  every  name  to  spend 
Sunday,  August  28,  in  supplication  for  the  recovery  of 
the  President.  The  response  was  general  and  sympa- 
thetic. True,  a  volume  of  prayer  had  been  going  up 
to  God  from  church  and  family  altars,  as  well  as  from 
secret  places,  for  his  restoration,  from  the  day  he  was 
shot,  but  no  such  concert  of  prayer  had  been  proposed. 
A  daily  paper  of  Boston,  on  Monday,  August  29,  said, 
under  the  heading,  "A  Nation  on  its  Knees  :" 

''Through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  there 
were  few  pulpits  of  any  denomination  of  Christians  in 
which  no  reference  was  made  to  President  Garfield's 
condition  on  Sunday,  and  few  worshipping  assemblies 
in  which  earnest  prayer  was  not  offered  for  his  recov- 


420  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ery.  There  was  no  need  of  any  special  summons  to 
this  service.  It  was  the  spontaneous  and  natural 
expression  of  the  national  feeling.  The  heavy  tidings 
of  Saturday  had  prepared  all  for  the  worst.  The 
physicians  had  abandoned  hope,  and  all  human  help 
seemed  to  have  been  tried  and  to  have  failed  ;  and  in 
an  agony  of  prayer  the  whole  nation,  with  one  consent, 
directed  its  entreaties  to  Him  who  holds  men  and 
nations  in  His  hands.  Never  before,  probably,  have 
so  many  prayers  been  offered  at  one  time  in  behalf  of 
one  man.  Those  who  have  faith  in  prayer  must  have 
had  their  confidence  strengthened  by  the  thought  of 
such  a  solemn  unity  of  petition  ;  and  those  who  have 
little  faith  in  religious  things  can  hardly  have  failed  to 
be  impressed  by  it.  To  many  minds,  the  strange  and 
marked  improvement  in  the  President's  condition, 
reported  during  the  day,  must  have  seemed  a  fresh 
reason  for  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer.  Whether 
these  countless  prayers  are  answered  in  the  way  in 
which  those  who  offered  them  desire,  or  not,  only  good 
can  come  from  this  deepened  sense  of  the  nation's 
dependence  upon  God." 

While  the  Christian  men  and  women  of  the  country 
were  yet  upon  their  knees,  the  President  rallied  from 
the  extreme  prostration  of  Friday  and  Saturday ;  his 
stomach  resumed  its  functions,  his  pulse  fell,  and  he 
said  in  a  stronger  voice  than  he  had  used  for  a  week, 
**  I  am  better;  I  shall  live."  The  talk  of  a  day  of 
national  thanksgiving  was  renewed  with  increased  inter- 
est. This  subject  was  announced  by  Governor  Foster 
of  Ohio,  when  hope  of  his  recovery  was  first  awakened 
after  he  was  shot,  by  the  following  card  : 


1. 


J 


420  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ery.  There  was  no  need  of  any  special  summons  to 
this  service.  It  was  the  spontaneous  and  natural 
expression  of  the  national  feeling.  The  heavy  tidings 
of  Saturday  had  prepared  all  for  the  worst.  The 
physicians  had  abandoned  hope,  and  all  human  help 
seemed  to  have  been  tried  and  to  have  failed  ;  and  in 
an  agony  of  prayer  the  whole  nation,  with  one  consent, 
directed  its  entreaties  to  Him  who  holds  men  and 
nations  in  His  hands.  Never  before,  probably,  have 
so  many  prayers  been  offered  at  one  time  in  behalf  of 
one  man.  Those  who  have  faith  in  prayer  must  have 
had  their  confidence  strengthened  by  the  thought  of 
such  a  solemn  unity  of  petition  ;  and  those  who  have 
little  faith  in  religious  things  can  hardly  have  failed  to 
be  impressed  by  it.  To  many  minds,  the  strange  and 
marked  improvement  in  the  President's  condition, 
reported  during  the  day,  must  have  seemed  a  fresh 
reason  for  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer.  Whether 
these  countless  prayers  are  answered  in  the  way  in 
which  those  who  offered  them  desire,  or  not,  only  good 
can  come  from  this  deepened  sense  of  the  nation's 
dependence  upon  God." 

While  the  Christian  men  and  women  of  the  country 
were  yet  upon  their  knees,  the  President  rallied  from 
the  extreme  prostration  of  Friday  and  Saturday ;  his 
stomach  resumed  its  functions,  his  pulse  fell,  and  he 
said  in  a  stronger  voice  than  he  had  used  for  a  week, 
"I  am  better;  I  shall  live."  The  talk  of  a  day  of 
national  thanksgiving  was  renewed  with  increased  inter- 
est. This  subject  was  announced  by  Governor  Foster 
of  Ohio,  when  hope  of  his  recovery  was  first  awakened 
after  he  was  shot,  by  the  following  card  : 


^\>V\i 


Ta-J-X^        CHV^A^^        Ax-vwC  Cxys^^^,     p-^sL-L^ 


A  SSA  SS/NA  TION-  42 1 

"  Governor's  Office,  Columbus,  O.,  July  10. 
"Present  indications  strongly  encourage  the  hope  that  the 
President  will  recover  from  the  effects  of  the  horrible  attempt  upon 
his  life.  It  must  occur  to  all  that  it  would  be  most  fitting  for  the 
Governors  of  the  several  States  and  Territories  to  issue  procla- 
mations setting  apart  a  day  to  be  generally  agreed  upon  for 
thanksgiving  and  praise  to  Almighty  God  for  the  blessed  deliver- 
ance of  our  President,  and  for  this  great  evidence  of  His  goodness 
to  this  nation.  If  this  suggestion  meets  your  approbation,  permit 
me  to  name  the  Governors  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Kentucky, 
Maryland,  and  Ohio,  as  a  committee  to  fix  upon  a  day  to  be  so 
observed.     Please  reply. 

(Signed)  Charles   Foster." 

The  suggestion  was  a  proof  of  the  strong  place  the 
President  occupied  in  the  affections  of  the  people  ; 
and  there  was  evidence  that  every  state  in  the  Union 
would  unite  in  such  an  expression  of  gratitude  to  God, 
if  his  life  were  spared.  North  and  South,  East  and 
West,  the  interest  was  profoundly  impressive  ;  in  no 
part  of  the  country  was  it  more  beautiful  than  in  the 
South.  The  Atlanta  Constitution  came  to  us  with 
this  delightful  tribute  :  — 

"An  element  that  contributes  largely  to  increase 
the  sympathy  of  the  Southern  people  is  the  happy 
family  relations  of  the  President.  It  was  remembered 
how,  upon  the  occasion  of  the  inauguration,  he  turned 
from  the  applauding  crowd  to  kiss  his  wife  and  his 
white-haired  mother  ;  and  many  a  Southern  wife  and 
mother  wrung  their  hands  in  grief  when  the  news  of 
his  assassination  was  received,  and  cried  :  '  Oh,  what 
will  his  wife  do }  How  will  his  mother  bear  it } ' 
Gracious  little  hints,  shining  here  and  there  through 
the  bewildering  dullness  of  political  discussions,  have 


422  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


given  the  people  a  tolerably  clear  idea  of  the  exquis- 
ite beauty  and  harmony  of  the  President's  family 
relations,  in  such  charming  contrast  to  the  -showy 
shoddyism  of  the  capital,  and  this  knowledge  has  had 
a  potent  effect  on  the  public  mind.  It  is  no  small  or 
unimportant  thing  that,  in  the  midst  of  conclitions 
altogether  heartless,  and  surrounded  by  influences 
calculated  to  destroy  reverence  for  the  family  hearth, 
the  home  life  of  the  President  of  the  Republic  should 
be  ideally  perfect,  and  the  fact  that  it  is,  brings  him 
and  his  family  very  close  to  the  hearts  of  the  Ameri- 
can people.  But  it  is  not  necessary  to  endeavor  to 
account  for  or  to  explain  Southern  manifestations  of 
sympathy  for  the  stricken  President.  They  were 
spontaneous  and  they  are  not  fleeting  We  know  a 
little  girl  —  the  daughter  of  a  Confederate  officer  who 
fought  through  the  war  —  who,  upon  being  told  last 
Sunday  morning  that  the  President  was  still  alive, 
quietly  replied,  '  I  know  it.  I  prayed  last  night  that 
he  might  live.'  The  child  had  prayed  with  faith,  and 
was  certain  her  prayer  would  be  answered.  This 
Sunday  morning  there  is  every  indication  that  the 
President  will  be  spared  to  his  family  and  to  the  coun- 
try, but  to  the  stricken  man  —  to  fair-faced  wife  and 
white-haired  mother  —  the  South,  standing  in  the 
shadow  of  great  troubles  of  her  own,  still  sends  forth 
her  sympathy." 

A  Democratic  member  of  Congress,  Representa- 
tive Hurd,  in  publicly  expressing  his  unfeigned  grief 
over  the  President's  critical  condition,  told  this 
story  :  — 

"It  happened  once    that   I  —  a   young    member  — 


ASSASSINATION.  423 


was  called  upon  to  close  on  the  Democratic  side  a 
debate  which  Mr.  Garfield  was  to  close  the  next 
morning  on  behalf  of  the  Republicans.  I  felt  the 
responsibility ;  I  was  extremely  anxious  to  make  a 
reply  which  would  do  credit  to  myself  and  not  dis- 
grace my  party  ;  and  I  went  to  Garfield  that  night 
and  pointed  out  my  dilemma.  I  did  not  feel  equal  to 
the  occasion  of  making  an  impromptu  response  to  a 
speech  which  he  was  fully  prepared  to  make.  Like 
the  man  he  is  —  like  a  brother,  I  might  say  —  he  told 
me  what  he  was  going  to  say,  the  whole  tenor  of  his 
argument,  and  thus  gave  me  the  benefit  of  twenty- 
four  hours'  study  in  which  to  reply  to  him.  You  can 
understand  my  admiration,  my  love,  my  anxiety  for 
that  man."  Then  he  added,  ''I  stumped  my  state 
against  him  last  year,  but,  from  my  knowledge  of  the 
man,  I  feel  that  he  was  never  guilty  of  a  dishonest  or 
ungenerous  act." 

An  Illinois  editor  said  :  — 

"The  statement,  that  President  Garfield  has  never 
done  better  service  to  the  nation  than  since  he  was 
stricken  down,  is  one  that  will  meet  an  *  amen '  in 
every  heart.  The  Christian  fortitude,  the  perfect  sub- 
mission, the  heroic  desire  to  live  if  possible,  but  to 
die  bravely  and  resignedly  if  he  must,  the  chivalric 
devotion  to  and  careful  thought  for  his  wife  and 
children  and  mother,  have  given  the  country  an  exhi- 
bition of  high  manhood  and  nobility  of  character 
most  salutary.  The  effect  will  not  be  ephemeral. 
General  Garfield  on  his  bed  of  death,  as  it  promised 
to  be,  has  elevated  the  American  people.  They  will 
not  soon  forget  the  lessons  he  has  taught." 


424  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


This  chapter,  in  which  the  heroic  wife  of  the  Presi- 
dent is  seen  to  have  borne  her  part  with  so  much 
calmness  and  faith,  would  not  be  complete  without 
the  following  picture,  which  we  are  permitted  to  give 
our  readers  from  her  own  hand.  It  is  an  extract 
from  a  letter  written  by  Mrs.  Garfield  to  her  husband 
ten  years  ago ;  and,  coming  into  the  hands  of  Presi- 
dent Hinsdale  of  Hiram  College,  it  was  published  in 
a  late  number  of   TJic  Student^  issued  at  that  college. 

*'  I  am  glad  to  tell  you,  that  out  of  all  the  toil  and 
disappointments  of  the  summer  just  ended  I  have 
risen  up  to  victory ;  that  silence  of  thought  since  you 
have  been  away  has  won  for  my  spirit  a  triumph. 
I  read  something  like  this  the  other  day  :  *  There  is 
no  healthy  thought  without  labor,  and  thought  makes 
the  labor  happy.'  Perhaps  this  is  the  way  I  have 
been  able  to  climb  up  higher.  It  came  to  me  one 
morning  when  I  was  making  bread.  I  said  to  myself, 
*  Here  I  am,  compelled  by  an  inevitable  necessity  to 
make  our  bread  this  summer.  Why  not  consider  it  a 
pleasant  occupation,  and  make  it  so  by  trying  to  see 
what  perfect  bread  I  can  make  } '  It  seemed  like  an 
inspiration,  and  the  whole  of  life  grew  brighter.  The 
very  sunshine  seemed  flowing  down  through  my  spirit 
into  the  white  loaves  !  and  now  I  believe  my  table  is 
furnished  with  better  bread  than  ever  before.  And 
this  truth,  old  as  creation,  seems  just  now  to  have 
become  fully  mine  —  that  I  need  not  to  be  the  shirk- 
ing slave  to  toil,  but  its  regal  master,  making  what- 
ever I  do  yield  me  its  best  fruits.  You  have  been 
king  of  your  works  so  long  that  maybe  you  will  laugh 
at   me  for  having  Uved  so  long   without  my  crown ; 


In  Reclixing-chaik  at  Lon<;   Bkanch. 


A  SSA  SS/NA  TION.  425 


but  I  am  too  glad  to  have  found  it  at  all  to  be  entirely 
disconcerted  even  by  your  merriment. 

"  Now,  I  wonder  if  right  here  does  not  lie  the 
*  terrible  wrong,'  or  at  least  some  of  it,  of  which  the 
woman  suffragists  complain.  The  wrongly  educated 
woman  thinks  her  duties  a  disgrace,  and  frets  under 
them,  or  shirks  them  if  she  can.  She  sees  man 
triumphantly  pursuing  his  vocations,  and  thinks  it  is 
the  kind  of  work  he  does  which  makes  him  grand  and 
regnant ;  whereas  it  is  not  the  kind  of  work  at  all,  but 
the  way  in  which,  and  the  spirit  with  which,  he  does 
it." 

The  physicians  became  satisfied  that  the  malarial 
air  of  Washington  was  very  unfavorable  to  the  recovery 
of  the  President.  From  the  time  he  was  stricken  down, 
the  public  were  extremely  anxious  about  this  danger. 
It  was  not  until  Tuesday,  the  fifth  day  of  September, 
however,  that  he  was  removed  to  Long  Branch,  New 
Jersey.  Preparations  were  made  to  remove  him  upon 
his  bed,  with  the  least  possible  excitement  and  motion ; 
and  at  six  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  that  day  he  was 
taken  from  the  White  House  to  the  special  train  in 
waiting,  accompanied  by  his  devoted  wife  and  loving 
daughter,  together  with  his  medical  attendants  and 
other  friends.  His  two  eldest  sons  left  Washington 
on  the  day  previous  to  enter  Williams  College,  Wil- 
liamstown,  Mass.,  and  the  two  youngest  remained  still 
at  the  family  home  in  Mentor,  Ohio.  The  removal  of 
the  President  was  accomplished  without  injury  to  him, 
save  extreme  weariness,  which  was  anticipated.  That 
was  the  most  remarkable  journey  in  the  annals  of  time  : 
the  sick  and  prostrate   ruler  of  a  great  nation  borne 


426  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

upon  his  bed  at  the  rate  of  fifty  miles  an  hour  in  quest 
of  recovery !  At  every  station  along  the  whole  dis- 
tance, the  sympathizing  people  gathered  in  large 
numbers ;  and,  in  silence,  with  uncovered  heads  and 
tearful  eyes,  watched  the  train  as  it  swept  by,  repre- 
sentative of  fifty  millions  of  people  who  waited,  with 
bated  breath,  the  result  of  the  perilous  experiment. 
Many  eyes  were  dim  with  tears  when,  at  the  close  of 
the  eventful  day,  they  read  the  account  of  his  journey 
from  the  presidential  mansion  to  the  sea,  the  event  was 
so  unusual  and  pathetic.  And  yet  their  hearts  rejoiced 
to  learn  that,  without  detriment,  he  was  comfortably 
lodged  in  Francklyn  Cottage,  which  had  been  arranged 
for  his  reception,  at  about  one  o'clock,  p.  m. 

The  change  appeared  to  benefit  the  patient  at  first, 
and  he  enjoyed  the  sea-air  with  a  keen  relish.  On  the 
fourth  day  after  his  arrival.  Dr.  Hamilton  said  to  Mrs. 
Garfield,  "  I  am  afraid  to  tell  you  how  confident  I  feel 
of  your  husband's  recovery."  The  public  participated 
in  this  confident  hope,  and  there  was  renewed  talk  of 
a  national  thanksgiving.  The  interest  and  joy  of  the 
public  expressed  itself  in  offers  to  supply  this,  that, 
and  the  other  article  that  might  add  comfort  and  hope 
to  his  condition.  One  man  sent  him  a  fine  Jersey 
cow,  that  he  might  be  supplied  with  fresh  milk.  Two 
little  girls  in  Pennsylvania,  reading  that  the  President 
wanted  squirrel  broth,  sent  to  him  their  pet  squirrel 
in  a  box  by  express,  delighted  to  give  the  great  and 
good  man  any  thing  they  possessed  to  aid  in  his  re- 
covery. There  was  no  limit  to  the  tangible  expressions 
of  tender  regard  by  the  people. 

The  buoyant   hopes  raised   by  the  removal  of  the 


ASSASSIXAT/ON.  AV 

patient  were  dashed,  however,  in  a  few  days,  by  the 
undoubted  evidence  of  blood-poisoning,  and  the  pres- 
ence of  an  abscess  in  the  right  lung.  Many  thought 
the  last  hope  was  gone.  Others  still  clung  to  the  hope 
which  the  patient's  great  physical  vitality  and  uniform 
courage  inspired.  All  along,  the  public,  and  even  the 
doctors,  had  depended  much  upon  the  physical  and 
moral  make-up  of  the  man,  to  restore  him  ;  and  there 
can  be  no  doubt,  that,  with  an  ordinary  constitution, 
less  will-power,  and  fewer  of  those  conspicuous  quali- 
ties, like  decision,  courage,  self-reliance,  and  persistent 
purpose,  which  developed  into  his  noble  manhood,  he 
would  have  died  soon  after  the  attempt  upon  his  life. 
But  he  grew  worse  ;  and,  on  the  seventeenth  day  of 
September,  appeared  to  be  beyond  mortal  aid.  The 
medical  attendants  well-nigh  despaired  of  him,  although 
there  was  no  evidence  of  speedy  dissolution.  Two 
days  later,  September  nineteenth,  there  appeared 
slight  improvement.  He  called  for  a  hand-glass,  that 
he  might  see  his  face.  Mrs.  Garfield  put  it  into  his 
hand,  and  he  held  it  for  some  moments,  viewing  him- 
self, when  he  remarked :  *'  I  do  not  see  how  it  is  that 
a  man  who  looks  as  well  as  I  do  should  be  so  dread- 
fully weak."  In  the  evening,  Colonel  Rockwell,  his 
faithful  attendant,  said:  "Things  look  better  ;  I  always 
told  you  that  the  President  would  get  well."  Dr. 
Bliss  remarked :  "There  are  no  more  bad  symptoms 
to  mention.  We  think  the  lung  trouble  is  a  little 
better ;  his  temperature  is  normal,  and  his  pulse  greatly 
reduced."  General  Swaim  said:  "He  is  worth  all  the 
dead  men  that  can  be  laid  between  here  and  New  York. 
His  pulse  is  firmer,  stronger,  and  has  more  volume. 


4^8  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

His  mind  is  clear,  and  his  stomach  right.  His  pluck 
and  courage  are  amazing.  He  comes  out  of  a  chill  as 
cheerful  as  if  he  were  leaving  an  evening  party."  Dr. 
Hamilton  remarked  to  a  friend  :  *'  It  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  look  upon  that  cheerful,  smiling  face,  and  not 
feel  that  he  is  going  to  live."  Under  the  impulse  of 
this  more  buoyant  feeling,  at  ten  o'clock,  p.  m.,  the 
following  was  sent  to  Minister  Lowell  in  London  :  — 

"  The  President  had  another  chill  of  considerable  severity  this 
morning,  which,  following  so  soon  after  the  chill  of  last  evening, 
left  him  very  weak  indeed.  His  pulse  became  more  frequent  and 
feeble  than  at  any  time  since  he  recovered  from  the  immediate 
shock  of  the  wound,  and  his  general  condition  was  more  alarming 
during  the  day.  His  system  has  reacted  to  some  extent,  and  he 
passed  the  afternoon  and  evening  comfortably.  At  this  hour  he 
is  resting  quietly,  and  no  disturbance  is  expected  during  the  night. 
There  has  been,  however,  no  gain  whatever  in  strength,  and 
therefore,  there  is  no  decrease  of  anxiety." 

The  lights  were  lowered  for  the  night ;  Mrs.  Garfield 
and  the  physicians  retired ;  and  the  illustrious  sleeper 
was  left  alone  with  his  watchers. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 
DEATH  —  FUNERAL   CEREMONIES. 

[ITHIN  ten  minutes  after  the  physicians  and 
Mrs.  Garfield  retired,  the  President  awoke 
with  a  groan.  Placing  his  hand  upon  his 
heart,  he  said  to  General  Swaim,  *'Oh, 
Swaim  !  what  a  terrible  pain  I  have  here  !  "  Dr.  Bliss 
was  summoned  from  an  adjoining  room,  hastily,  and 
the  moment  he  fastened  his  eye  upon  the  sufferer,  he 
exclaimed,  "  My  God,  Swaim,  he  is  dying ;  call  Mrs. 
Garfield."  From  that  moment  he  appeared  to  be  un- 
conscious, although  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  his  wife  as 
she  hurriedly  entered  the  room,  and  seemed  to  follow 
her  as  she  moved  around  to  the  other  side  of  the  bed 
to  take  his  hand  in  hers.  His  eyes  were  wide  open, 
but  dazed ;  his  pulse  only  fluttered  ;  he  gasped,  and 
was  no  more.  At  thirty-five  minutes  past  ten  o'clock, 
Dr.  Bliss  pronounced  life  extinct  !  A  sudden  and  ter- 
rible change  from  the  hope  inspired  at  ten  o'clock ! 
The  President  of  the  United  States  —  her  favorite  son, 
scholar,  and  statesman  —  was  dead! 

The  unutterable  sadness  of  that  moment  in  the 
Francklyn  Cottage  can  never  be  put  upon  paper.  The 
idol  of  the  family  and  nation  had  ceased  to  live,  and 

439 


430  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

the  witnesses  of  the  dying  scene  were  silent  and  in 
tears.  Through  that  little  company  of  friends,  as  rep- 
resentatives, the  American  people  wept  with  the 
widow  by  that  lifeless  form. 

A  few  moments  of  hushed  silence,  broken  only  by 
irrepressible  sobs,  and  Mrs.  Garfield  slipped  out  of  the 
chamber  of  death  into  her  own  room.  She  knew,  by 
blessed  experience,  where  to  go  for  help  in  her  sor- 
row ;  and,  alone  with  Him  whose  grace  is  sufficient 
for  all,  to  be  made  equal  to  the  loss.  In  ten  minutes 
she  returned  and  took  her  seat  by  her  dear,  departed 
husband,  calm,  self-possessed,  and  heroic,  as  if  she 
had  laid  a  part  of  her  crushing  grief  upon  the  Great 
Burden-Bearer.  On  being  asked  what  her  wishes  were 
respecting  the  disposition  of  the  body,  she  replied  that 
she  "could  not  consider  that  subject  until  morning." 
For  two  hours  she  kept  her  place  at  the  bed-side  of  the 
painless  sleeper,  then  retired  sadly  to  her  room,  not  to 
slumber,  but  to  pace  the  floor  until  dawn. 

The  cabinet  were  near  by,  except  Secretaries  Blaine 
and  Lincoln,  who  were  en  route  for  Long  Branch  from 
New  England,  and  they  were  immediately  summoned. 
About  midnight  they  sent  the  following  telegram  to 
Vice-President  Arthur,  who  was  at  his  home  in  New 
York  City:  — 

"  It  becomes  our  painful  duty  to  inform  you  of  the  death  of 
President  Garfield,  and  to  advise  you  to  take  the  oath  of  office  as 
President  of  the  United  States  without  delay.  If  it  concurs  with 
your  judgment,  will  be  very  glad  if  you  will  come  here  on  the 
earliest  train  to-morrow. 

"  William  Wixdom,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 

*'  W.  H.  Hunt,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

"  Thomas  L.  James,  Postmaster-General. 

♦'  Wayne  MacVeagh,  Attorney-General. 

'*  S.  J.  KiRKWOOD,  Secretary  of  Interior.''^ 


DEATH  —  FUNERAL    CEREMONIES.  43  I 

The  next  telegram  was  forwarded  to  his  aged  mother 
at  Hiram,  Ohio,  who  was  awaiting  the  issue  with 
maternal  solicitude  and  Christian  trust.  The  next 
went  to  his  two  sons  in  college,  at  Williamstown, 
Mass.  :  — 

"  At  thirty-five  minutes  past  ten  o'clock  to-night  jour  father 
passed  peacefully  away.     Come  to  Long  Branch  at  once." 

Secretaries  Blaine  and  Lincoln  were  taking  the 
train  in  Boston  about  the  time  the  President  expired, 
when  the  following  telegram  was  handed  to  Mr.  Lin- 
coln :  — 

"  Long  Branch,  Sept.  19,  1881,  9  p.  m. 

"  The  President  has  passed  a  comfortable  day,  and  is  now  rest- 
ing quietly.  "  Wayne  MacVeagh." 

Of  course  the  two  secretaries  left  Boston  with  in- 
creased hope  ;  but  that  hope  perished  suddenly,  when, 
at  Putnam,  Conn.,  a  telegram  intercepted  them,  an- 
nouncing the  President's  death. 

The  news  of  his  death  was  carried  speedily  over  the 
country  by  telegraph,  and  before  one  o'clock,  the  in- 
habitants of  Boston,  New  York,  Washington,  Phila- 
delphia, and  other  large  cities  and  towns,  were  aroused 
from  their  slumbers  by  the  tolling  of  bells.  They 
knew  full  well  the  import  of  that  solemn  knell ;  and 
tens  of  thousands  exchanged  sleep  for  mourning.  The 
sad  intelligence  was  borne  so  rapidly  over  the  land 
and  world  that,  by  twelve  o'clock  on  the  following 
day,  the  bells  of  towns  from  Maine  to  California  tolled 
their  melancholy  requiem  in  honor  of  the  dead.  From 
valley,  plain  and  hill-top,  far  and  near,  the  doleful 
sound  was  borne  on  the  wrings  of  the  wind,  until 
almost  every  hamlet  heard  the  tidings  and  bowed  in 


432  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

sorrow.  The  Canadas  joined  in  the  general  lamenta- 
tion, and  expressed  their  heartfelt  sympathy  by  the 
tolling  of  bells.  And  even  across  the  Atlantic,  the 
sad  refrain  was  caught  up  by  English  towns,  and  their 
church-bells  told  of  their  sympathy  for  our  afflicted 
land,  and  their  respect  for  the  deceased  President. 
The  sorrow  was  universal.  How  strange  that  thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  bells  should  unite  in  tolling  the 
death-knell  of  one  who  never  heard  the  sound  of  a  bell 
until  he  was  more  than  ten  years  of  age.* 

President  Garfield  died  on  the  anniversary  of  his 
promotion  to  Major-General,  September  Nineteenth, 
for  brave  deeds  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  His 
famous  ride  in  that  battle  from  General  Rosecrans  to 
General  Thomas,  in  which  he  ran  the  gauntlet  of  rebel 
guns  for  miles,  his  two  orderlies  and  their  horses 
being  shot  at  his  side,  was  so  wonderful  as  to  cause  a 
correspondent  of  the  New  Yo7k  Ti'ibicne,  who  was  on 
the  ground,  to  say :  "  His  death  was  certain,  unless 
Providence  had  more  work  for  him  to  do  on  this  foot- 
stool."! God  had  eighteen  years  more  of  patriotic 
work  for  him  to  do  for  his  country,  and  so  he  emerged 
from  that  fearful  ordeal  with  only  the  smell  of  fire 
upon  his  garments.  His  countrymen  hoped  that  God 
had  still  more  and  greater  work  for  him  in  public  life, 
and  so  would  spare  him  now.  But  his  life  was  well 
rounded  ;  he  had  reached  the  Pisgah  of  earthly  fame  ; 
he  had  accomplished  more  at  fifty  years  than  most 
statesmen  at  seventy ;  his  work  was  all  done,  and  well 
done ;  so  God  took  him,  that  he  might  bless  the  nation 
more  by  his  death  than  he  could  by  his  life. 

*  See  Chap.  VI.  f  See  account  of  his  ride,  in  Chap.  XXIII. 


DEATH— FUNERAL    CEREMONIES.         433 


There  is  a  prophetic  character  in  the  statement  of 
General  Mussey,  on  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  Au- 
gust, when  the  physicians  abandoned  all  hope  of  the 
President's  restoration,  and  so  announced  to  Mrs. 
Garfield :  "  He  will  not  live ;  but  he  will  not  die 
until  the  nineteenth  day  of  September." 

"Why  do  you  make  that  statement.-*"  he  was 
asked. 

"  Because  it  was  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1863,  that  General  Garfield  was  made  major- 
general  for  gallantry  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga, 
and  he  has  often  told  me  that  when  he  died,  he 
thought  he  should  die  on  the  anniversary  of  his  pro- 
motion. I  claim  nothing  for  his  prophecy,  but  only 
repeat  what  he  told  me  several  times  with  an  earnest- 
ness I  shall  never  forget." 

On  the  arrival  of  Secretaries  Blaine  and  Lincoln, 
the  Cabinet  convened,  and  with  the  acquiescence  of 
Mrs.  Garfield,  arranged  for  obsequies  at  Washington 
on  Friday,  September  twenty-third,  and  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  on  Monday,  September  twenty-sixth.  Prepara- 
tions were  hastily  made  for  the  removal  of  the  body 
to  the  Capitol,  and  in  the  meantime,  a  post-mortem 
examination  of  the  body  disclosed  what  surprised  the 
doctors  and  the  country,  —  the  bullet  was  found 
behind  the  heart,  quite  distant  from  the  spot  where 
the  surgeons  located  it.  They  had  failed  to  trace 
the  course  of  the  ball  correctly,  and,  to  compre- 
hend fully  the  fatal  extent  of  the  injury.  Before 
the  close  of  Tuesday,  Mrs.  Garfield  received  the 
following  telegram  of  condolence  from  Queen  Vic 
toria :  — 


434  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE, 

*'  Words  cannot  express  the  deep  sympathy  I  feel  with  you. 
May  God  support  and  comfort  you  as  He  alone  can." 

On  Wednesday  morning  the  funeral  cortege  left 
Elberon  for  Washington,  accompanied  by  the  new 
President,  Chester  A.  Arthur,  who  had  taken  the 
oath  of  office  in  New  York,  and  Ex-President  Grant, 
with  all  the  members  of  the  Cabinet.  The  train  was 
deeply  draped  with  mourning  emblems,  and  was  met 
with  the  symbols  of  sorrow  along  the  entire  route. 
At  the  Princeton  station,  three  hundred  students 
from  the  college  stood,  with  uncovered  heads  and 
arms  full  of  flowers,  with  which  they  strewed  the 
track  and  literally  covered  the  funeral  car,  as  the 
train  slacked  its  speed  and  moved  slowly  by.  At 
five  o'clock  p.  M.,  the  casket  was  deposited  in  the 
rotunda  of  the  Capitol,  amid  the  tolling  of  bells  and 
other  sorrowful  demonstrations.  The  Capitol  and 
all  the  public  buildings  of  the  city,  together  with 
houses,  stores  and  streets,  were  elaborately  draped 
with  the  emblems  of  grief. 

Arrangements  were  made  for  the  body  to  lie  in 
state  in  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  until  the  time  of 
the  funeral  on  Friday.  The  lid  of  the  casket  was 
opened  immediately  after  it  was  deposited  upon  the 
catafalque ;  and  the  crowd  began  to  enter  to  view 
the  remains.  By  the  time  the  lid  of  the  cofifin  was 
closed,  late  on  Thursday  afternoon,  a  hundred 
thousand  people  had  passed  in  to  see  the  dead 
President.  It  became  necessary  to  close  the  casket 
on  Thursday  night,  because  decomposition  was 
advancing  so  rapidly.  The  body  had  been  em- 
balmed,   but    the    decay   challenged    the   embalmer. 


DEATH  —  FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.         435 

and  his  work  proved  vain.  Before  the  face  of  the 
sleeper  was  shut  from  the  gaze  of  men,  Mrs.  Gar- 
field expressed  the  wish  to  be  alone  with  him  for  a 
season.  She  was  accompanied  to  the  Capitol  by 
the  Attorney-General  and  other  intimate  friends. 
The  sentinels  and  other  persons  were  sent  from  the 
rotunda,  and  every  door  was  locked,  save  one, 
through  which  the  stricken  widow  might  pass.  As 
soon  as  she  stepped  alone  into  the  rotunda,  the  guard 
locked  the  door  behind  her  ;  and  there  she  waited  in 
the  presence  of  death.  The  casket  was  covered  with 
flowers  ;  and  various  floral  designs  of  exquisite  work- 
manship—  all  the  tributes  of  loving  friends  —  spoke 
to  her  of  beauty  and  joy  where  all  tears  are  wiped 
from  the  eyes.  There  was  a  costly  tribute,  a  most 
elaborate  specimen  of  the  florist's  art,  from  England's 
queen,  accompanied  by  a  mourning  card,  bearing  the 
following  inscription  :  — 

"  Queen  Victoria  to  the  memory  of  the  late  President  Garfield  ; 
an  expression  of  her  sorrow  and  sympathy  with  Mrs.  Garfield  and 
the  American  nation." 

For  twenty  minutes  the  deeply  afflicted  woman 
remained  with  the  dead  ;  when  she  came  forth,  pale 
and  wan,  but  without  a  tear.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
she  was  met  at  the  coflin  by  Him  who  was  "  a  man 
of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief ; "  and  that  she 
took  leave  of  her  departed  husband  assured  that  the 
all-sufficient  One  would  bear  her  sorrows  and  carry 
her  grief.     (Is.  liii.  4.) 

The  funeral  ceremonies  on  Friday  were  short  and 
simple  —  singing,     reading    of    the     scriptures,    two 


436  LOG-CABIX  TO    WHITE  HOUSE, 


prayers,  and  a  brief  address  by  his  pastor,  Dr. 
Powers.  The  singing  was  the  sweetest  for  the 
occasion  that  Washington  could  furnish,  the  piece 
rendered  being  a  favorite  hymn  of  the  deceased : 
"  Asleep  in  Jesus,  blessed  sleep  !  "  His  pastor  said  : 
"The  cloud  so  long  pending  over  the  nation  has  at 
last  burst  upon  our  heads.  We  sit  half  crushed  amid 
the  ruin  it  has  wrought.  We  remember  with  joy  his 
faith  in  the  son  of  God,  whose  gospel  he  sometimes 
himself  preached,  and  which  he  always  truly  loved. 
And  we  see  light  and  blue  sky  through  cloud 
structure,  and  beauty  instead  of  ruin  ;  glory,  honor, 
immortality,  spiritual  and  eternal  life,  in  the  place 
of  decay  and  death.  The  chief  glory  of  this  man, 
as  we  think  of  him  now,  was  his  discipleship  in  the 
school  of  Christ.  It  is  as  a  Christian  that  we  love  to 
think  of  him,  now.  It  was  this  which  made  his  life  to 
man  an  invaluable  boon,  his  death  to  us  an  unspeak- 
able loss,  his  eternity  to  himself  an  inheritance  in- 
corruptible, undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away.  He 
was  no  sectarian.  His  religion  was  as  broad  as  the 
religion  of  Christ.  He  was  a  simple  Christian,  bound 
by  no  sectarian  ties,  and  wholly  in  fellowship  with  all 
pure  spirits.  He  was  a  christologist  rather  than  a 
theologist.  He  had  great  reverence  for  the  family 
relations.  His  example  as  son,  husband  and  father, 
is  a  glory  to  this  nation.  He  had  a  most  kindly 
nature.  His  power  over  human  hearts  was  deep  and 
strong.  He  won  men  to  him.  He  had  no  enemies. 
The  hand  that  struck  him  was  not  the  hand  of  his 
enemy,  but  the  enemy  of  the  position,  the  enemy  of 
the  country,  the  enemy  of  God.     He  sought  to  do 


DEATH  —FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.         437 

right,  manward  and  Godward.  He  was  a  grander 
man  than  we  knew.  He  wrought  even  in  his  pain  a 
better  work  for  the  nation  than  we  can  now  estimate. 
He  fell  at  the  height  of  his  achievements,  not  from 
any  fault  of  his  ;  but  we  may  in  some  sense  reverently 
apply  to  him  the  words  spoken  of  his  dear  Lord  :  '  He 
was  wounded  for  our  transgressions  ;  he  was  bruised 
for  our  iniquities  ;  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was 
upon  him.'  As  the  nations  remembered  the  Mace- 
donian as  Alexander  the  Great,  and  the  Grecian  as 
Aristides  the  Just,  may  not  this  son  of  America  be 
known  as  Garfield  the  Good  }  Our  President  rests ; 
he  had  joy  in  the  glory  of  work,  and  he  loved  to  talk 
of  the  leisure  that  did  not  come  to  him.  Now  he  has 
it.  This  is  the  clay,  precious  because  of  the  service 
it  rendered.  He  is  a  freed  spirit ;  absent  from  the 
body,  he  is  present  with  the  Lord.  On  the  heights 
whence  came  his  help,  he  finds  repose.  What  rest 
has  been  his  for  these  four  days !  The  brave  spirit 
which  has  cried  in  its  body,  '  I  am  tired,'  is  where  the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at 
rest.  The  patient  soul  which  groaned,  under  the 
burden  of  the  suffering  flesh,  *  O,  this  pain,'  is  now  in 
a  world  without  pain.  Spring  comes,  the  flowers 
bloom,  the  buds  put  forth,  the  birds  sing  ;  autumn 
rolls  round,  the  birds  have  long  since  hushed  their 
voices,  the  flowers  faded  and  fallen  away,  the  forest 
foliage  assumes  a  sickly,  dying  hue  ;  so  earthly  things 
pass  away  and  what  is  true  remains  with  God.  The 
pageant  moves,  the  splendor  of  arms  and  the  banners 
glitter  in  the  sunlight,  the  music  of  instruments  and 
of    orators    swells    upon    the   air.       The    cheers    and 


438  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


praises  of  men  resound.  But  the  spring  and  summer 
pass  by,  and  the  autumn  sees  a  nation  of  sad  eyes 
and  heavy  hearts,  and  what  is  true  remains  of  God. 
'  The  eternal  God  is  our  refuge,  and  underneath  are 
the  everlasting  arms.* " 

It  should  not  be  overlooked  that,  from  the  time  the 
President's  death  was  announced,  letters  and  telegrams 
of  sympathy  and  condolence  came  to  Mrs.  Garfield 
and  Secretary  Blaine,  not  only  from  the  distinguished 
officials  of  our  own  country,  —  governors,  senators, 
judges,  representatives,  and  other  public  men,  —  but 
also  from  the  rulers  of  almost  every  country  on  the 
globe.  The  people  of  every  land  seemed  to  feel  that 
they  had  sustained  a  loss  in  the  death  of  the  noble 
man  ;  and  their  expressions  of  sympathy  were  frank 
and  full.  The  day  of  the  funeral  in  Cleveland,  Mon- 
day, September  26th,  which  President  Arthur  set  apart 
as  a  fast,  was  observed  in  som.e  foreign  countries, 
where  people  assembled  in  large  numbers  to  pay  their 
tribute  of  respect  to  the  lamented  Chief  Magistrate  of 
the  United  States.  The  courts  of  England,  Belgium, 
and  Spain  went  into  mourning.  It  was  an  unusual 
expression  of  tender  regard,  for  which  the  bereaved 
American  people  were  truly  grateful. 

At  the  close  of  the  obsequies  in  Washington,  the 
remains  were  conveyed  to  the  train  waiting  to  bear 
them  to  Ohio;  and  a  silent  and  tearful  procession 
followed  them  to  the  station,  through  streets  that  were 
thronged  with  people  and  mournful  with  funeral 
drapery.  At  five  o'clock,  all  that  was  mortal  of  the 
great  man  was  borne  away  from  the  capital,  where  he 
was  inducted  into  the  presidential  office  less  than  seven 


DEATH— FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.  439 


months  before.  The  entire  route  from  Washington  to 
Cleveland  was  made  memorable  by  the  grateful  tributes 
of  citizens  gathering  in  numbers  from  one  to  ten 
thousand  at  the  different  railroad  stations,  with  the 
emblems  of  their  unfeigned  sorrow  draping  every  flag 
and  building. 

About  one  o'clock  p.  m.,  the  funeral  train  rolled  into 
the  depot  at  Cleveland,  presenting  a  touching  spectacle 
to  the  assembled  multitude  there.  It  was  so  deeply 
draped,  from  the  locomotive  to  the  last  car,  that  every 
particle  of  brass  upon  the  engine  and  wood  of  the  cars 
was  concealed  by  crape.  The  depot  itself  was  as 
elaborate  in  its  symbols  of  death  as  the  train  ;  and  the 
fifty  thousand  people  gathered  within  sight  were  moved 
to  tears  by  the  mournful  scene.  A  hearse  was  in 
waiting  to  receive  the  casket  and  bear  it  to  the  great 
pavilion  that  had  been  erected  upon  the  City  Park.  It 
was  covered  with  black,  and  drawn  by  four  black 
horses,  attended  by  four  colored  grooms  who  served 
in  a  similar  capacity  when  the  body  of  President 
Lincoln  was  conveyed  through  the  city.  As  soon  as 
the  casket  was  deposited  in  its  place  upon  the  costly 
catafalque  erected  in  the  centre  of  the  park,  the  vast 
concourse  of  people  began  to  pass  around  it  four 
abreast,  disappointed  indeed  that  the  face  of  their 
beloved  President  could  not  be  seen,  but  glad  to  pay 
their  honest  tribute  of  respect  to  his  precious  memory. 
Until  late  in  the  evening  the  solemn  procession  filed 
past  the  remains,  only  a  fractional  part  of  the  crowd, 
however,  having  yet  been  able  to  get  within  the  park. 
Again,  at  sunrise,  on  Sabbath  morning,  the  procession 
took  its  march,  four  abreast  still,  dividing  at  the  foot 


440  LOG-CABIN  TO    WHITE  HOUSE. 

of  the  catafalque,  and  passing  it  by  twos  on  either  side, 
and  thus  continued  through  the  day  until  the  military 
closed  the  entrance  to  the  park  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  Seventy-five  thousand  people,  composed  of 
all  classes,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  from  the 
wealthiest  to  the  poorest,  had  joined  the  march  of 
honor  past  the  coffin,  and  yet  as  many  more  turned 
away  in  sad  disappointment. 

Monday,  the  time  of  the  funeral  in  Cleveland,  had 
been  appointed  by  President  Arthur  as  a  day  of  fasting, 
humiliation,  and  prayer ;  and  the  governors  of  most 
of  the  states  joined  in  the  request.  The  governors  of 
a  few  states  had  appointed  Friday,  the  day  of  obsequies 
at  Washington,  as  a  fast,  before  the  President's  procla- 
mation was  issued  ;  still,  Monday  was  regarded  as  the 
funeral  day  for  the  nation,  and  Cleveland  was  the  cen- 
tral point  to  which  all  hearts  turned.  Although  the 
capacity  of  the  city  to  accommodate  visitors  was  over- 
taxed on  Saturday  and  Sunday,  they  continued  to 
come  on  Monday  morning  by  rail  and  carriage,  every 
sort  of  vehicle  being  used  to  convey  them  from  the 
surrounding  country.  What  was  remarkable  to  witness 
were  the  sad  countenances  worn  by  the  vast  concourse 
of  people,  nine  out  of  ten  of  them  wearing  some  symbol 
of  bereavement,  the  most  common  one  being  a  good 
portrait  of  the  dead  man  on  a  piece  of  black  ribbon  for 
males  to  wear  upon  their  coats.  Almost  every  female 
wore  some  emblem  of  sorrow,  a  crape  bow  of  black  and 
white  upon  the  neck  being  the  most  general.  By  the 
time  of  the  funeral  ceremonies,  at  half-past  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  people 
were  on  the  streets  to  witness  the  pageant  moving  to 
the  grave. 


DEATH— FUXERAL    CEREMONIES.  44^ 


Perhaps  no  city  in  the  world  was  ever  draped  so 
beautifully  and  expensively  before.      There  scarcely 
could  be  found  a  store,  shop,  or  dwelling  on  which 
some  visible  token   of  respect  for  the  dead  did  not 
appear.     The  streets,  too,  were  arrayed  in  the  deepest 
mourning,  as  if  loving  relatives  of  the  deceased  states- 
man had  dressed  them  for  his  funeral.     Euclid  Avenue, 
six  miles  long,  —  one  of  the  longest,  widest,  and  finest 
avenues    in    the    country,  —  was  draped  in  the  most 
costly  manner  from  beginning  to  end.     It  is  Uned  the 
whole  distance  with  the  richest  lawns,  in  the  rear  of 
which  stand  the  most  elegant  dwellings  the  city  can 
boast ;  and  the  drapery  that  covered  these  costly  man- 
sions and  lawns  vied  in  elegance  with  the  residences 
themselves.      The    splendid   trees   which    adorn   the 
avenue  on  both  sides  held  many  sable  symbols  on  their 
green  and  thrifty  boughs,  while  every  device  of  floral 
art  appeared  in  the  most  appropriate  and  costly  designs. 
It  was  through  this  avenue  that  the  funeral  pageant 
passed  to  the  cemetery ;  and  its  wonderful  mourning 
attire  was  worthy  of   the  sad    occasion.     The  floral 
tributes  in  the  city,  especially  in  the  park  and  around 
the  catafalque,  were  too   many  and    elaborate  to  be 
described.     Fair  hands  of  the  city  had  wrought  flowers 
into  the  most  charming  pictures  ;  and  other  cities  and 
towns  had  contributed  them  in  equally  exquisite  forms, 
till  it  seemed  as  if  the  florists  of  the  world  had  ex- 
hausted their  art  in  furnishing  beautiful  pieces  for  the 
greatest  day  of  sorrow  America  ever  knew.    Cincinnati 
alone  forwarded  two  carloads  of  floral  devices.     Enor- 
mous arches  spanned  every  entrance    to   the  public 
squares,    and   these   were    covered  with  black   cloth, 


442  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

relieved  with  bands  and  fringes  of  white,  while  flowers 
wrought  into  such  pictures  of  beauty  as  to  remind 
beholders  of  fairy  fingers,  lent  enchantment  to  the 
view.  Each  arch  bore  a  suitable  inscription  in  white 
flowers.  It  is  quite  impossible  to  describe  the  display 
of  flowers.  We  shall  not  attempt  it,  except  to  say 
that,  perhaps,  the  most  attractive  design  of  all  was  the 
pendant  from  the  arch  at  the  western  gate.  A  large 
cross-hilted  sword  of  evergreen,  surmounted  by  a  white 
dove,  formed  the  basis  of  the  structure,  and  across  it 
was  a  ladder  of  white  immortelles.  There  were  eleven 
rounds  to  the  ladder,  emblematical  of  the  different  stages 
of  General  Garfield's  career.  On  the  lower  round  was 
inscribed  the  word  ''Chester;"  on  the  second,  ''Hi- 
ram ; "  on  the  third,  "  Williams  ;  "  on  the  fourth,  "  Ohio 
Senate;"  on  the  fifth,  "Colonel;"  on  the  sixth,  "Gen- 
eral ; "  on  the  seventh,  "  Congress ; "  on  the  eighth, 
"United  States  Senate;"  on  the  ninth,  "President;" 
on  the  tenth,  "Martyr;"  the  eleventJi  and  topmost 
round  bore  no  inscription,  but  was  heavily  shrouded  in 
crape.  The  reader  of  this  volume  will  readily  interpret 
these  inscriptions,  since  they  describe  our  hero  going 
to  the  "top  of  the  ladder." 

The  floral  designs  of  the  casket  were  numerous  and 
elegant.  None  were  brought  from  Washington  except 
\.\\Q palms,  that  symbol  "victory,"  and  Victoria's  tribute. 
All  others  were  the  contribution  of  Ohio ;  and  they 
were  all  that  the  truest  love  and  veneration  for  the 
dead  could  ask. 

When  the  people  had  assembled  for  the  obsequies 
on  the  park,  there  were  present  two  ex-Presidents  of 
the  United  States,  the  Cabinet,  and  Members  of  Con- 


DEATH  —  FUNERAL    CEREMONIES.  443 

gress,  prominent  officers  of  the  army  and  navy,  Judges 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  Foreign  Ministers,  Governors 
and  ex-Governors  of  many  of  the  States,  together  with 
other  public  men  of  fame  from  various  parts  of  the 
country,  presenting,  perhaps,  the  most  imposing  scene 
of  the  kind  ever  witnessed.  Mrs.  Garfield,  with  the 
aged  mother  of  the  President,  and  other  members  of 
the  family,  took  their  seats  near  the  casket.  The 
mother  had  not  seen  the  President  since  she  left 
Washington,  a  few  weeks  after  his  inauguration  ;  and 
now  she  could  only  look  upon  the  coffin  which  held  the 
form  so  dear  to  her.  As  if  moved  by  an  irrepressible 
yearning  of  love,  she  rose  and  stepped  to  the  head  of 
the  casket,  and  covering  her  face  in  the  deep  folds  of 
mourning  in  which  she  was  clad,  she  poured  out  her 
soul  in  silent  grief  for  a  moment,  and  thousands  wept 
with  her. 

At  precisely  half-past  ten  o'clock  the  services  opeued 
by  the  singing  of  Beethoven's  ''Funeral  Hymn,"  by 
the  Cleveland  Vocal  Society. 

"  Thou  art  gone  to  the  grave,  but  we  will  not  deplore  thee, 
Tho'  sorrow  and  darkness  encompass  the  tomb  ; 
The  Saviour  has  passed  thro'  its  portals  before  thee, 
And  the  lamp  of  His  love  is  thy  light  thro'  the  gloom." 

Scripture  selections  were  read  by  Bishop  Bedell ; 
prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  R.  C.  Houghton  ;  another 
hymn  was  sung  by  the  vocal  society;  when  Rev.  Isaac 
Errett,  D.D.,  of  Cincinnati,  according  to  a  promise  made 
to  the  deceased,  years  ago,  proceeded  to  deliver  an  able 
and  eloquent  sermon  from  texts  that  seemed  to  have 
been  inspired  for  this  special  occasion  (2  Chronicles 
XXXV.  23-27 ;  Isaiah  iii.  1-3  ;  xl.  6-%). 


444  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  sermon  was  followed  by  the  following  favorite 
hymn  of  General  Garfield  :  — 

"  Ho  !  reapers  of  life's  harvest, 

Why  stand  with  rusted  blade 
Until  the  night  draws  round  thee 

And  the  day  begins  to  fade  ? 
Why  stand  ye  idle,  waiting 

For  reapers  more  to  come  ? 
The  golden  morn  is  passing  — 

Why  sit  ye,  idle,  dumb  ? 

Thrust  in  your  sharpened  sickle 

And  gather  in  the  grain  ; 
The  night  is  fast  approaching 

And  soon  will  come  again. 
The  master  calls  for  reapers  — 

And  shall  he  call  in  vain  ? 
Shall  sheaves  lie  there  ungathered 

And  wasted  on  the  plain  ? 

Mount  up  the  heights  of  wisdom 

And  crush  each  error  low  ; 
Keep  back  no  words  of  knowledge 

That  human  hearts  should  know. 
Be  faithful  to  thy  mission, 

In  service  of  thy  Lord, 
And  then  a  golden  chaplet 

Shall  be  thy  just  reward." 

Dr.  C.  S.  Pomeroy  made  the  closing  prayer,  when 
the  remains  were  immediately  borne  to  the  funeral 
car,  which  was  a  very  imposing  carriage  in  the  form 
of  the  temple  of  liberty,  draped  in  black,  and  having 
at  each  corner  a  group  of  tattered  Ohio  battle-flags, 
among  them,  those  of  the  Forty-Second  Ohio  Regi- 
ment, which  General  Garfield  organized  and  com- 
manded.    It  was  drawn  by  twelve  black  horses,  four 


DEATH— FUNERAL    CEREMONIES.  445 


abreast,  wearing  mourning  plumes  on  their  heads, 
and  covered  with  heavy  black  cloth  ornamented  with 
silver  fringe.  Each  horse  was  led  by  a  sable-liveried 
colored  groom.  The  family  and  distinguished  citizens 
present  immediately  followed  the  casket  and  took 
their  seats  in  carriages  provided  for  them,  and  joined 
the  procession.  The  procession  had  been  forming 
during  the  progress  of  the  obsequies,  so  that  it  was 
well  under  way  when  the  services  closed.  Lake  View 
Cemetery,  where  General  Garfield  had  expressed  a 
wish  to  be  buried,  was  seven  miles  away,  and  when 
the  head  of  the  procession  reached  the  place  of 
burial,  the  end  of  it  was  still  in  the  city.  And  such 
an  impressive  pageant  no  one  present  ever  witnessed 
before.  The  emblems  of  mourning,  the  brilliant  dress 
of  Knight  Templars,  Masonic  Lodges  and  other 
civilian  societies,  the  parade  of  richly  caparisoned 
cavalry  and  the  uniform  of  military  companies,  to- 
gether with  the  draped  and  expensive  carriages  of 
every  description  drawn  by  fine  horses  finely  arrayed 
in  appropriate  mourning  symbols ;  and  bands  of 
music  touching  the  tender  hearts  of  the  multitude 
with  solemn  dirges,  all  this  constituted  such  a  funeral 
cortege  as  never  before  followed  King  or  Queen  or 
President  to  the  tomb. 

At  the  cemetery  there  was  singing,  prayer,  an  ad- 
dress by  Rev,  J.  H.  Jones,  Chaplain  of  the  Forty- 
Second  Ohio  Regiment  when  General  Garfield  was 
its  commander,  and  benediction  by  President  Hins- 
dale, of  Hiram  College,  where  the  deceased  laid  the 
foundation  of  his  education  as  well  as  the  foundation 
of  his  greatness. 


44^  LOG-CAIUN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Thus  closed  a  day  of  mourning  that  has  no  parallel 
in  American  history.  For,  it  should  not  be  forgot- 
ten, that  funeral  services  were  also  held  all  over  the 
country,  in  the  smallest  as  well  as  the  largest  towns  ; 
and  the  people  suspended  their  industrial  pursuits,  and 
repaired  to  their  churches  and  halls,  where,  surrounded 
with  sombre  draperies  and  floral  tributes,  they  listened 
to  funeral  sermons,  eulogies,  prayers  and  hymns,  and 
wept  over  their  national  and  personal  loss.  The  pre- 
vious day,  too,  the  Sabbath  of  rest  —  was  observed 
in  every  part  of  the  land  by  appropriate  memorial 
services.  The  people  assembled  in  their  places  of 
worship,  in  larger  numbers  than  usual,  and  listened 
to  fitting  sermons  upon  the  death  of  the  President. 
Thousands  of  discourses  were  preached  upon  this 
melancholy  theme  in  thousands  of  churches  draped 
in  black  and  decorated  with  flowers  for  the  occasion. 
Altogether  it  was  a  memorable  Sabbath  in  the  history 
of  our  Christian  land. 

The  sorrow  and  sympathy  among  all  lands  were 
without  precedent.  The  Department  of  State  fur- 
nishes the  following  correspondence  :  — 

ToKio,  Sept.  21. 
To  Yoshida,  Japanese  Minister^  Washuis^ton  : 

You  are  instructed  to  transmit  the  following;  message  to  the 
Hf>n.  James  G.  Blaine,  Secretary  of  State  : 

We  have  received  with  feeh'ngs  of  i)rofound  sorrow  a  telegram 
from  our  Minister,  announcing  the  death  of  President  Garfield. 
The  favorable  reports  of  his  condition  we  have  from  time  to  time 
received  make  this  sad  announcement  the  more  unexpected  and 
painful.  In  the  name  of  His  Majesty,  we  tender  to  you  and  the 
sadly  bereaved  family  our  heartfelt  condolence  and  sympathy. 

I  NO  u  YE,  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs. 


DEATH  — FUNERAL   CEREMONIES.  A,A7 

To  Secretary  of  State,  Washiiis^ton  : 

By  special  command  of  His  Majesty,  the  King  of  Italy,  now 
absent  in  the  northern  provinces,  the  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs 
communicates  to  me  the  expression  of  the  profound  regret  of 
His  Majesty,  and  of  the  Italian  nation,  for  the  death  of  our  late 
chief  magistrate.  Marsh. 

Frofn  the  Actiftg  Governor-General  of  Canada  : 

Ottawa,  Sept.  21. 
Be  pleased  to  convey  to  the  President,  and  through  him  to  the 
people  of  the  United  States,  the  deep  sympathy  felt  by  the  gov- 
ernment and  people  of  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  for  the  sad  loss 
the  people  of  the  United  States  have  sustained  in  the  melancholy 
death  of  their  late  President. 

To  the  Secretary  of  State,  Washitigton,  D.  C.  : 

The  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs  telegraphs  me  that  the  Sultan 
and  the  Ottoman  government  are  profoundly  grieved  at  the  death 
of  the  President ;  and  His  Excellency  charges  me  to  present,  in 
the  name  of  His  Majesty  and  the  government  their  sincerest 
sympathy  to  Mrs.  Garfield,  and  the  government  of  the  United 
States.  Aristarchi. 

To  Secretary  Blaine,  Washin^on  : 

Sympathy  in  Belgium  for  the  nation,  and  President  Garfield's 
family,  profound  and  universal.  The  King,  the  government  lega- 
tions, and  citizens  have  expressed  it.  Putnam,  Brussels. 

Rome,  Sept.  21, 

To  His  Excellency,  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,   Wash- 

itigt07i  : 
The  loss  of  the  illustrious  President  Garfield  has  roused  a  deep 
sorrow  to  the  Holy  Father.     His  Holiness  directs  me  to  present 
his  condolence  to  Your  Excellency  and  to  the  Government,  and 
his  best  wishes  for  the  prosperity  of  the  republic. 

L.  Cardinal  Jacobini. 


44^  LOG-CAB/X  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

To  President  Arthur : 

The  Anglo-Jewish  Association  deplores  the  loss  sustained  by 
the  American  nation,  and  offers  heartfelt  sympathy  to  the  Govern- 
ment and  people  of  the  United  States,  and  also  to  the  bereaved 
family  of  the  late  illustrious  President. 

Baron  de  Worms,  M.  D. 

The  Pall  Afall  Gazette  said  : 

A  year  ago  to-day  not  one  Englishman  in  a  thousand  had 
heard  Garfield's  name.  To-day  there  will  scarcely  be  an  English- 
man in  a  thousand  who  will  not  read  of  his  death  with  regret  as 
real  and  as  deep  as  if  he  had  been  a  ruler  of  our  own.  A  com- 
munion of  sorrow  unites  the  members  of  the  English  race  to  day 
more  closely  than  it  has  ever  been  since  1776. 

Glasgow,  Sept.  26. 
The  flags  were  at  half-mast,  and  the  bells  were  tolled  for  an 
hour  ;  the  principal  markets  have  closed  for  the  afternoon. 

Manchester,  Sept.  26. 
Business  was  to  a  great  extent  suspended  to-day.     There  was 
a  funeral  service  in  the  Cathedral. 

London,  Sept.  21. 
Every  hour  increases  the  evidence  that  the  present  is  the  most 
remarkable  demonstration  of  sympathy  ever  witnessed  in  Europe. 

As  we  recall,  in  conclusion,  the  wonderful  career 
of  the  man,  and  ponder  the  mysterious  Providence 
that  confronts  us  in  his  removal,  and  ask  the  mean- 
ing of  the  deep  and  universal  grief  at  his  burial,  we 
can  find  no  more  fitting  words  with  which  to  close 
this  record,  than  his  own  words,  in  the  National  House 
of  Representatives,  on  the  occasion  of  the  first  anni- 
versary of  Lincoln's  death.  In  a  speech  of  rare  beauty 
and  eloquence,  he  said,  —  what  applies  with  remark- 
able significance  to  himself : 


DEATH  — FUNERAL    CEREMONIES,  449 

"  This  day  will  be  sadly  memorable  so  long  as  this 
nation  shall  endure,  which,  God  grant,  may  be  '  till  the 
last  syllable  of  recorded  time,'  when  the  volume  of 
human  history  shall  be  sealed  up,  and  delivered  to  the 
Omnipotent  Judge. 

**  His  character  is  aptly  described  in  the  words  of 
England's  great  leaureate,  written  thirty  years  ago,  in 
which  he  traces  the  upward  steps  of  some 

*  Divinely  gifted  man, 
Whose  life  in  low  estate  began, 
And  on  a  simple  village  green  ; 

Who  breaks  his  birth's  invidious  bar, 
And  grasps  the  skirts  of  happy  chance, 
And  breasts  the  blow  of  circumstance, 

And  grapples  with  his  evil  star  ; 

Who  makes  by  force  his  merits  known, 
And  lives  to  clutch  his  golden  keys. 
To  mould  a  mighty  State's  decrees, 

And  shape  the  whisper  of  the  throne. 

And  moving  up  from  high  to  higher, 
Becomes  on  Fortune's  crowning  slope 
The  pillar  of  a  people's  hope, 

The  centre  of  a  world's  desire.' 

**  Such  a  life  and  character  will  be  treasured  for- 
ever as  the  sacred  possession  of  the  American  people 
and  of  mankind. 

**Ah,  sir,  there  are  times  in  the  history  of  men  and 
nations  when  they  stand  so  near  the  veil  that  separ- 
ates mortals  from  immortals,  time  from  eternity,  and 
men  from  their  God,  that  they  can  almost  hear  the  beat- 


450  LOG-CABTN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ings  and  feel  the  pulsations  of  the  heart  of  the  Infinite. 
Through  such  a  time  has  this  nation  passed.  When 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  brave  spirits  passed 
from  the  field  of  honor  through  that  thin  veil  to  the 
presence  of  God,  and  when  at  last  its  parting  folds' 
admitted  the  martyr  President  to  the  company  of 
the  dead  heroes  of  the  Republic,  the  nation  stood  so 
near  the  veil  that  the  whispers  of  God  were  heard  by 
the  children  of  men. 

"  Awe-stricken  by  his  voice,  the  American  people 
knelt  in  tearful  reverence  and  made  a  solemn  covenant 
with  Him  and  with  each  other  that  this  nation  should 
be  saved  from  its  enemies,  that  all  its  glories  should 
be  restored,  and  on  the  ruins  of  treason  and  slavery 
the  temples  of  freedom  and  justice  should  be  built, 
and  should  survive  forever.  It  remains  for  us,  con- 
secrated to  that  great  event,  and  under  a  covenant 
with  God,  to  keep  that  faith,  to  go  forward  in  the 
great  work  until  it  shall  be  completed. 

"Following  the  lead  of  that  great  man,  and  obey- 
ing the  high  behests  of  God,  let  us  remember  that,  — 

"  *  He  has  sounded  forth  a  trumpet  that  shall  never  call  retreat ; 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  His  judgment-seat ; 
Be   swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  him  ;  be  jubilant,  my  feet ; 

For  God  is  marchins:  on.'  "  • 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

MR.   BLAINE'S    EULOGY    ON    PRESIDENT    GARFIELD. 

OR  the  second  time  in  this  generation  the 
great    departments  of   the    Government  of 


the  United  States  are  assembled  in  the 
Hall  of  Representatives  to  do  honor  to  the 
memory  of  a  murdered  President.  Lincoln  fell  at  the 
close  of  a  mighty  struggle  in  which  the  passions  of  men 
had  been  deeply  stirred.  The  tragical  termination  of  his 
great  life  added  but  another  to  the  lengthened  succes- 
sion of  horrors  which  had  marked  so  many  lintels  with 
the  blood  of  the  first  born.  Garfield  was  slain  in  a 
day  of  peace,  when  brother  had  been  reconciled  to 
brother,  and  when  anger  and  hate  had  been  banished 
from  the  land.  "  Whoever  shall  hereafter  draw  the 
portrait  of  murder,  if  he  will  show  it  as  it  has  been 
exhibited  where  such  example  was  last  to  have  been 
looked  for,  let  him  not  give  it  the  grim  visage  of 
Moloch,  the  brow  knitted  by  revenge,  the  face  black 
with  settled  hate.  Let  him  draw,  rather,  a  decorous, 
smooth-faced,  bloodless  demon  ;  not  so  much  an 
example  of  human  nature  in  its  depravity  and  in  its 
paroxysms  of  crime,  as  an  infernal  being,  a  fiend  in  the 
ordinary  display  and  development  of  his  character." 

45 1 


452  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 


From  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth  till 
the  uprising  against  Charles  the  First,  about  twenty- 
thousand  emigrants  came  from  old  England  to  New 
England.  As  they  came  in  pursuit  of  intellectual 
freedom  and  ecclesiastical  independence  rather  than 
for  worldly  honor  and  profit,  the  emigration  naturally 
ceased  when  the  contest  for  religious  liberty  began  in 
earnest  at  home.  The  man  who  struck  his  most 
effective  blow  for  freedom  of  conscience  by  sail- 
ing for  the  colonies  in  1620  would  have  been 
accounted  a  deserter  to  leave  after  1640.  The  oppor- 
tunity had  then  come  on  the  soil  of  England  for  that 
great  contest  which  established  the  authority  of  Parlia- 
ment, gave  religious  freedom  to  the  people,  sent 
Charles  to  the  block,  and  committed  to  the  hands  of 
Oliver  Cromwell  the  Supreme  Executive  authority 
of  England.  The  English  emigration  was  never 
renewed,  and  from  these  twenty  thousand  men,  with  a 
small  emigration  from  Scotland  and  from  France,  are 
descended  the  vast  numbers  who  have  New  England 
blood  in  their  veins. 

In  1685  the  revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantes  by 
Louis  XIV.  scattered  to  other  countries  four  hundred 
thousand  Protestants,  who  were  among  the  most 
intelligent  and  enterprising  of  French  subjects  — 
merchants  of  capital,  skilled  manufacturers,  and  handi- 
craftsmen, superior  at  the  time  to  all  others  in 
Europe.  A  considerable  number  of  these  Huguenot 
French  came  to  America ;  a  few  landed  in  New 
England  and  became  honorably  prominent  in  its 
history.  Their  names  have  in  large  part  become 
anglicized,   or    have    disappeared,   but    their   blood   is 


EULOGY.  453 

traceable  in  many  of  the  most  reputable  families,  and 
their  fame  is  perpetuated  in  honorable  memorials  and 
useful  institutions. 

From  these  two  sources,  the  English-Puritan  and 
the  French-Huguenot,  came  the  late  President  —  his 
father,  Abram  Garfield,  being  descended  from  the 
one,  and  his  mother,  Eliza  Ballou,  from  the  other. 

It  was  good  stock  on  both  sides  —  none  better,  none 
braver,  none  truer.  There  was  in  it  an  inheritance  of 
courage,  of  manliness,  of  imperishable  love  of  liberty, 
of  undying  adherence  to  principle.  Garfield  was 
proud  of  his  blood  ;  and,  with  as  much  satisfaction  as 
if  he  were  a  British  nobleman  reading  his  stately 
ancestral  record  in  Burke's  Peerage,  he  spoke  of  him- 
self as  ninth  in  descent  from  those  who  would  not 
endure  the  oppression  of  the  Stuarts,  and  seventh  in 
descent  from  the  brave  French  Protestants  who 
refused  to  submit  to  tyranny  even  from  the  Grand 
Monarch. 

General  Garfield  delighted  to  dwell  on  these  traits, 
and,  during  his  only  visit  to  England,  he  busied  him- 
self in  discovering  every  trace  of  his  forefathers  in 
parish  registries  and  on  ancient  army  rolls.  Sitting 
with  a  friend  in  the  gallery  of  the  House  of  Commons 
one  night  after  a  long  day's  labor  in  this  field  of 
research,  he  said  with  evident  elation  that  in  every 
war  in  which  for  three  centuries  patriots  of  English 
blood  had  struck  sturdy  blows  for  constitutional 
government  and  human  liberty,  his  family  had  been 
represented.  They  were  at  Marston  Moor,  at  Naseby 
and  at  Preston  ;  they  were  at  Bunker  Hill,  at  Sara- 
toga, and  at  Monmouth,  and  in  his  own  person  had 


454  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

battled  for  the  same  great  cause  in  the  war  which 
preserved  the  Union  of  the  States. 

Losing  his  father  before  he  was  two  years  old,  the 
early  life  of  Garfield  was  one  of  privation,  but  its 
poverty  has  been  made  indelicately  and  unjustly 
prominent.  Thousands  of  readers  have  imagined  him 
as  the  ragged,  starving  child,  whose  reality  too  often 
greets  the  eye  in  the  squalid  sections  of  our  large 
cities.  General  Garfield's  infancy  and  youth  had  none 
of  their  destitution,  none  of  their  pitiful  features 
appealing  to  the  tender  heart  and  to  the  open  hand  of 
charity.  He  was  a  poor  boy  in  the  sense  in 
which  Henry  Clay  was  a  poor  boy  ;  in  which  An- 
drew Jackson  was  a  poor  boy ;  in  which  Daniel  Web- 
ster was  a  poor  boy ;  in  the  sense  in  which  a  large 
majority  of  the  eminent  men  of  America  in  all  genera- 
tions have  been  poor  boys.  Before  a  great  multitude 
of  men,  in  a  public  speech,  Mr.  Webster  bore  this 
testimony : 

"  It  did  not  happen  to  me  to  be  born  in  a  log  cabin, 
but  my  elder  brothers  and  sisters  were  born  in  a  log 
cabin,  raised  amid  the  snow-drifts  of  New  Hampshire, 
at  a  period  so  early  that  when  the  smoke  rose  first 
from  its  rude  chimney  and  curled  over  the  frozen  hills 
there  was  no  similar  evidence  of  a  white  man's  habita- 
tion between  it  and  the  settlements  on  the  rivers  of 
Canada.  Its  remains  still  exist.  I  make  to  it  an 
annual  visit.  I  carry  my  children  to  it  to  teach  them 
the  hardships  endured  by  the  generations  which  have 
gone  before  them.  I  love  to  dwell  on  the  tender 
recollections,  the  kindred  ties,  the  early  affections, 
and    the    touching    narratives    and    incidents   which 


EULOGY.  455 

mingle    with   all    I    know    of    this    primitive    family 
abode." 

With  the  requisite  change  of  scene  the  same  words 
would  aptly  portray  the  early  days  of  Garfield.  The 
poverty  of  the  frontier,  where  all  are  engaged  in  a 
common  struggle  and  where  a  common  sympathy  and 
hearty  cooperation  lighten  the  burden  of  each,  is  a 
very  different  poverty,  different  in  kind,  different  in 
influence  and  effect  from  that  conscious  and  humilia- 
ting indigence  w^hich  is  every  day  forced  to  contrast 
itself  with  neighboring  wealth  on  which  it  feels  a 
sense  of  grinding  dependence.  The  poverty  of  the 
frontier  is  indeed  no  poverty.  It  is  but  the  beginning 
of  wealth,  and  has  the  boundless  possibilities  of  the 
future  always  opening  before  it.  No  man  ever  grew 
up  in  the  agricultural  regions  of  the  West  where  a 
house-raising,  or  even  a  corn-husking,  is  a  matter  of 
common  interest  and  helpfulness,  with  any  other  feel- 
ing than  that  of  broad-minded,  generous  independ- 
ence. This  honorable  independence  marked  the 
youth  of  Garfield  as  it  marks  the  youth  of  millions  of 
the  best  blood  and  brain  now  training  for  the  future 
citizenship  and  future  government  of  the  republic. 
Garfield  was  born  heir  to  land,  to  the  title  of  free- 
holder which  has  been  the  patent  and  passport  of  self- 
respect  with  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  ever  since  Hengist 
and  Horsa  landed  on  the  shores  of  England.  His  ad- 
venture on  the  canal  —  an  alternative  between  that 
and  the  deck  of  a  Lake  Erie  schooner  —  was  a 
farmer  boy's  device  for  earning  money,  just  as  the 
New  England  lad  begins  a  possible  great  career  by 
sailing  before  the  mast  on  a  coasting  vessel  or  on  a 


456  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

merchantman  bound  to  the  farther  India  or  to  the 
China  Seas. 

No  manly  man  feels  anything  of  shame  in  looking 
back  to  early  struggles  with  adverse  circumstances,  and 
no  man  feels  a  worthier  pride  than  when  he  has  con- 
quered the  obstacles  to  his  progress.  But  no  one  of 
noble  mould  desires  to  be  looked  upon  as  having  occu- 
pied a  menial  position,  as  having  been  repressed  by  a 
feeling  of  inferiority,  or  as  having  suffered  the  evils  of 
poverty  until  relief  was  found  at  the  hand  of  charity. 
General  Garfield's  youth  presented  no  hardships  which 
family  love  and  family  energy  did  not  overcome,  sub- 
jected him  to  no  privations  which  he  did  not  cheerfully 
accept,  and  left  no  memories  save  those  which  were 
recalled  with  delight,  and  transmitted  with  profit  and 
with  pride. 

Garfield's  early  opportunities  for  securing  an  edu- 
cation were  extremely  limited,  and  yet  were  sufficient 
to  develop  in  him  an  intense  desire  to  learn.  He 
could  read  at  three  years  of  age,  and  each  winter  he 
had  the  advantage  of  the  district  school.  He  read  all 
the  books  to  be  found  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaint- 
ance ;  some  of  them  he  got  by  heart.  While  yet  in 
childhood  he  was  a  constant  student  of  the  Bible,  and 
became  familiar  with  its  literature.  The  dignity  and 
earnestness  of  his  speech  in  his  maturer  life  gave  evi- 
dence of  this  early  training.  At  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  was  able  to  teach  school,  and  thenceforward  his 
ambition  was  to  obtain  a  college  education.  To  this 
end  he  bent  all  his  efforts,  working  in  the  harvest  field, 
at  the  carpenter's  bench,  and,  in  the  winter  season, 
teaching  the  common   schools  of  the  neighborhood. 


EULOGY.  457 

While  thus  laboriously  occupied  he  found  time  to  pros- 
ecute his  studies,  and  was  so  successful  that  at  twenty- 
two  years  of  age  he  was  able  to  enter  the  junior  class 
at  Williams  College,  then  under  the  presidency  of  the 
venerable  and  honored  Mark  Hopkins,  who,  in  the  full- 
ness of  his  powers,  survives  the  eminent  pupil  to  whom 
he  was  of  inestimable  service. 

The  history  of  Garfield's  life  to  this  period  presents 
no  novel  features.  He  had  undoubtedly  shown  perse- 
verance, self-reliance,  self-sacrifice,  and  ambition  — 
qualities  which,  be  it  said  for  the  honor  of  our  country, 
are  everywhere  to  be  found  among  the  young  men  of 
America.  But  from  his  graduation  at  Williams  onward, 
to  the  hour  of  his  tragical  death,  Garfield's  career  was 
eminent  and  exceptional.  Slowly  working  through  his 
educational  period,  receiving  his  diploma  when  twenty- 
four  years  of  age,  he  seemed  at  one  bound  to  spring 
into  conspicuous  and  brilliant  success.  W^ithin  six 
years  he  was  successively  president  of  a  college,  State 
senator  of  Ohio,  major-general  of  the  Army  of  the 
United  States,  and  Representative  elect  to  the  National 
Congress.  A  combination  of  honors  so  varied,  so  ele- 
vated, within  a  period  so  brief  and  to  a  man  so  young, 
is  without  precedent  or  parallel  in  the  history  of  the 
country. 

Garfield's  army  life  was  begun  with  no  other  military 
knowledge  than  such  as  he  had  hastily  gained  from 
books  in  the  few  months  preceeding  his  march  to  the 
field.  Stepping  from  civil  life  to  the  head  of  a  regi- 
ment, the  first  order  he  received  when  ready  to  cross 
the  Ohio  was  to  assume  command  of  a  brigade,  and  to 
operate  as  an  independent  force  in  Eastern  Kentucky. 


45S  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

His  immediate  duty  was  to  check  the  advance  of  Hum- 
phrey Marshall,  who  was  marching  down  the  Big  Sandy 
with  the  intention  of  occupying  in  connection  with 
other  Confederate  forces  the  entire  territory  of  Ken- 
tucky, and  of  precipitating  the  State  into  secession. 
This  was  at  the  close  of  the  year  1861.  Seldom,  if 
ever,  has  a  young  college  professor  been  thrown  into 
a  more  embarrassing  and  discouraging  position.  He 
knew  just  enough  of  military  science,  as  he  expressed 
it  himself,  to  measure  the  extent  of  his  ignorance,  and 
with  a  handful  of  men  he  was  marching,  in  rough  winter 
weather,  into  a  strange  country,  among  a  hostile  pop- 
ulation, to  confront  a  largely  superior  force  under  the 
command  of  a  distinguished  graduate  of  West  Point, 
who  had  seen  active  and  important  service  in  two  pre- 
ceding wars. 

The  result  of  the  campaign  is  matter  of  history.  The 
skill,  the  endurance,  the  extraordinary  energy  shown 
by  Garfield,  the  courage  he  imparted  to  his  men,  raw 
and  untried  as  himself,  the  measures  he  adopted  to 
increase  his  force  and  to  create  in  the  enemy's  mind 
exaggerated  estimates  of  his  numbers,  bore  perfect 
fruit  in  the  routing  of  Marshall,  the  capture  of  his  camp, 
the  dispersion  of  his  force,  and  the  emancipation  of  an 
important  territory  from  the  control  of  the  rebellion. 
Coming  at  the  close  of  a  long  series  of  disasters  to  the 
Union  arms,  Garfield's  victory  had  an  unusual  and  ex- 
traneous importance,  and  in  the  popular  judgment  ele- 
vated the  young  commander  to  the  rank  of  a  military 
hero.  With  less  than  two  thousand  men  in  his  entire 
command,  with  a  mobilized  force  of  only  eleven  hundred, 
without  cannon,  he  had  met  an  army  of  five  thousand 


EULOGY.  459 

and  defeated  them  —  driving  Marshall's  forces  success- 
ively from  two  strongholds  of  their  own  selection,  forti- 
fied with  abundant  artillery.  Major-General  Buell, 
commanding  the  Department  of  the  Ohio,  an  experi- 
enced and  able  soldier  of  the  Regular  Army,  published 
an  order  of  thanks  and  congratulation  on  the  brilliant 
result  of  the  Big  Sandy  campaign,  which  would  have 
turned  the  head  of  a  less  cool  and  sensible  man  than 
Garfield.  Buell  declared  that  his  services  had  called 
into  action  the  highest  quality  of  a  soldier,  and  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  supplemented  these  words  of  praise  by 
the  more  substantial  reward  of  a  brigadier-general's 
commission,  to  bear  date  from  the  day  of  this  decisive 
victory  over  Marshall.    - 

The  subsequent  military  career  of  Garfield  fully  sus- 
tained its  brilliant  beginning.  With  his  new  commission 
he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  a  brigade  in  the  Army 
of  the  Ohio,  and  took  part  in  the  second  and  decisive 
day's  fight  in  the  great  battle  of  Shiloh.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  year  1862  was  not  especially  eventful  to 
Garfield,  as  it  was  not  to  the  armies  with  which  he  was 
serving.  His  practical  sense  was  called  into  exercise 
in  completing  the  task  assigned  him  by  General  Buell, 
of  reconstructing  bridges  and  re-establishing  lines  of 
railway  communication  for  the  Army.  His  occupation 
in  this  useful  but  not  brilliant  field  was  varied  by  service 
on  courts  martial  of  importance,  in  which  department 
of  duty  he  won  a  valuable  reputation,  attracting  the 
notice  and  securing  the  approval  of  the  able  and  emi- 
nent Judge-Advocate-Gcneral  of  the  Army.  That  of 
itself  was  warrant  to  honorable  fame ;  for  among  the 
great  men  who  in  those  trying  days  gave  themselves, 


460  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

with  entire  devotion,  to  the  service  of  their  country, 
one  who  brought  to  that  service  the  ripest  learning, 
the  most  fervid  eloquence,  the  most  varied  attainments, 
who  labored  with  modesty  and  shunned  applause,  who 
in  the  day  of  triumph  sat  reserved  and  silent  and  grate- 
ful—  as  Francis  Deak  in  the  hour  of  Hungary's  de- 
liverance—  was  Joseph  Holt,  of  Kentucky,  who  in  his 
honorable  retirement  enjoys  the  respect  and  veneration 
of  all  who  love  the  Union  of  the  States. 

Early  in  1863  Garfield  was  assigned  to  the  highly 
important  and  responsible  post  of  chief  of  staff  to 
General  Rosecrans,  then  at  the  head  of  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland.  Perhaps  in  a  great  military  campaign  no 
subordinate  officer  requires  sounder  judgment  and 
quicker  knowledge  of  men  than  the  chief  of  staff  to  the 
commanding-general.  An  indiscreet  man  in  such  a 
position  can  sow  more  discord,  breed  more  jealousy 
and  disseminate  more  strife  than  any  other  officer  in 
the  entire  organization.  When  General  Garfield  as- 
sumed his  new  duties  he  found  various  troubles  already 
well  developed  and  seriously  affecting  the  value  and 
efficiency  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  The  en- 
ergy, the  impartiality,  and  the  tact  with  which  he 
sought  to  allay  these  dissensions,  and  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  his  new  and  trying  position  will  always  re- 
main one  of  the  most  striking  proofs  of  his  great  ver- 
satility. His  military  duties  closed  on  the  memorable 
field  of  Chickamauga,  a  field  which  however  disastrous 
to  the  Union  arms  gave  to  him  the  occasion  of  win- 
ning imperishable  laurels.  The  very  rare  distinction 
was  accorded  him  of  a  great  promotion  for  his  bravery 
on  a  field  that  was  lost.     President  Lincoln  appointed 


EULOGY.  461 

him  a  major-general  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States 
for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  in  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga. 

The  Army  of  the  Cumberland  was  reorganized  under 
the  command  of  General  Thomas,  who  promptly  offered 
Garfield  one  of  its  divisions.  He  was  extremely  de- 
sirous to  accept  the  position,  but  was  embarrassed  by 
the  fact  that  he  had,  a  year  before,  been  elected  to 
Congress,  and  the  time  when  he  must  take  his  seat 
was  drawing  near.  He  preferred  to  remain  in  the 
military  service,  and  had  within  his  own  breast  the 
largest  confidence  of  success  in  the  wider  field  which 
his  new  rank  opened  to  him.  Balancing  the  arguments 
on  the  one  side  and  the  other,  anxious  to  determine 
what  was  for  the  best,  desirous  above  all  things  to  do 
his  patriotic  duty,  he  was  decisively  influenced  by 
the  advice  of  President  Lincoln  and  Secretary 
Stanton,  both  of  whom  assured  him  that  he  could, 
at  that  time,  be  of  especial  value  in  the  House 
of  Representatives.  He  resigned  his  commission  of 
major-general  on  the  5th  day  of  December,  1863,  and 
took  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives  on  the 
7th.  He  had  served  two  years  and  four  months  in  the 
Army,  and  had  just  completed  his  thirty-second  year. 

The  Thirty-eighth  Congress  is  pre-eminently  en- 
titled in  history  to  the  designation  of  the  War  Congress. 
It  was  elected  while  the  war  was  flagrant,  and  every 
member  was  chosen  upon  the  issues  involved  in  the 
continuance  of  the  struggle.  The  Thirty-seventh  Con- 
gress had,  indeed,  legislated  to  a  large  extent  on  war 
measures,  but  it  was  chosen  before  any  one  believed 
that  secession  of  the  States  would  be  actually  attempted. 


462  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

The  magnitude  of  the  work  which  fell  upon  its  suc- 
cessor was  unprecedented,  both  in  respect  to  the  vast 
sums  of  money  raised  for  the  support  of  the  Army  and 
Navy,  and  of  the  new  and  extraordinary  powers  of 
legislation  which  it  was  forced  to  exercise.  Only 
twenty-four  States  were  represented,  and  one  hundred 
and  eighty-two  members  were  upon  its  roll.  Among 
these  were  many  distinguished  party  leaders  on  both 
sides,  veterans  in  the  public  service,  with  established 
reputations  for  ability,  and  with  that  skill  which  comes 
only  from  parliamentary  experience.  Into  this  assem- 
blage of  men  Garfield  entered  without  special  prepara- 
tion, and  it  might  almost  be  said  unexpectedly.  The 
question  of  taking  command  of  a  division  of  troops 
under  General  Thomas,  or  taking  his  seat  in  Congress 
was  kept  open  till  the  last  moment,  so  late,  indeed, 
that  the  resignation  of  his  military  commission  and  his 
appearance  in  the  House  were  almost  contemporaneous. 
He  wore  the  uniform  of  a  major-general  of  the  United 
States  Army  on  Saturday,  and  on  Monday  in  civilian's 
dress,  he  answered  to  the  roll-call  as  a  Representative 
in  Congress  from  the  State  of  Ohio. 

He  was  especially  fortunate  in  the  constituency 
which  elected  him.  Descended  almost  entirely  from 
New  England  stock,  the  men  of  the  Ashtabula  district 
were  intensely  radical  on  all  questions  relating  to  human 
rights.  Well  educated,  thrifty,  thoroughly  intelligent 
in  affairs,  acutely  discerning  of  character,  not  quick  to 
bestow  confidence,  and  slow  to  withdraw  it,  they  were 
at  once  the  most  helpful  and  most  exacting  of  support- 
ers. Their  tenacious  trust  in  men  in  whom  they  have 
once   confided  is  illustrated  by  the    unparalleled  fact 


EULOGY.  463 

that  Elisha  Whittlesey,  Joshua  R.  Giddings,  and  James 
A.  Garfield  represented  the  district  for  fifty-four  years. 

There  is  no  test  of  a  man's  ability  in  any  department 
of  public  life  more  severe  than  service  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  ;  there  is  no  place  where  so  little  def- 
erence is  paid  to  reputation  previously  acquired,  or  to 
eminence  won  outside ;  no  place  where  so  little  con- 
sideration is  shown  for  the  feelings  or  the  failures  of 
beginners.  What  a  man  gains  in  the  House  he  gains 
by  sheer  force  of  his  own  character,  and  if  he  loses  and 
falls  back  he  must  expect  no  mercy,  and  will  receive 
no  sympathy.  It  is  a  field  in  which  the  survival  of  the 
strongest  is  the  recognized  rule,  and  where  no  pretence 
can  deceive  and  no  glamour  can  mislead.  The  real 
man  is  discovered,  his  worth  is  impartially  v/eighed,  his 
rank  is  irreversibly  decreed. 

With  possibly  a  single  exception,  Garfield  was  the 
youngest  member  in  the  House  when  he  entered,  and 
was  but  seven  years  from  his  college  graduation.  But 
he  had  not  been  in  his  seat  sixty  days  before  his  ability 
was  recognized  and  his  place  conceded.  He  stepped 
to  the  front  with  the  confidence  of  one  who  belonged 
there  The  House  was  crowded  wdth  strong  men  of 
both  parties  ;  nineteen  of  them  have  since  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  Senate,  and  many  of  them  have  served 
with  distinction  in  the  gubernatorial  chairs  of  their 
respective  States,  and  on  foreign  missions  of  great 
consequence ;  but  among  them  all  none  grew  so 
rapidly,  none  so  firmly  as  Garfield.  As  is  said  by 
Trevelyan  of  his  parliamentary  hero,  Garfield  suc- 
ceeded "  because  all  the  world  in  concert  could  not 
have  kept  him  in  the  background,  and  because  when 


464  LOG-CABIX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

once  in  the  front  he  played  his  part  with  a  prompt 
intrepidity  and  a  commanding  ease  that  were  but  the 
outward  symptoms  of  the  immense  reserves  of  energy, 
on  which  it  was  in  his  power  to  draw."  Indeed  the 
apparently  reserved  force  which  Garfield  possessed 
was  one  of  his  great  characteristics.  He  never  did  so 
well  but  that  it  seemed  he  could  easily  have  done 
better.  He  never  expended  so  much  strength  but 
that  he  seemed  to  be  holding  additional  power  at  call. 
This  is  one  of  the  happiest  and  rarest  distinctions  of 
an  effective  debater,  and  often  counts  for  as  much  in 
persuading  an  assembly  as  the  eloquent  and  elaborate 
argument. 

The  great  measure  of  Garfield's  fame  was  filled  by 
his  service  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  His 
military  life,  illustrated  by  honorable  performance,  and 
rich  in  promise,  was,  as  he  himself  felt,  prematurely 
terminated,  and  necessarily  incomplete.  Speculation 
as  to  what  he  might  have  done  in  a  field  where  the 
great  prizes  are  so  few,  cannot  be  profitable.  It  is 
sufficient  to  say  that  as  a  soldier  he  did  his  duty 
bravely ;  he  did  it  intelligently ;  he  won  an  enviable 
fame,  and  he  retired  from  the  service  without  blot  or 
breath  against  him.  As  a  lawyer,  though  admirably 
equipped  for  the  profession,  he  can  scarcely  be  said  to 
have  entered  on  its  practice.  The  few  efforts  he  made 
at  the  bar  were  distinguished  by  the  same  high  order 
of  talent  which  he  exhibited  on  every  field  where  he 
was  put  to  the  test,  and  if  a  man  may  be  accepted  as  a 
competent  judge  of  his  own  capacities  and  adaptations, 
the  law  was  the  profession  to  which  Garfield  should 
have  devoted  himself.     But  fate  ordained  otherwise, 


EULOGY,  465 

and  his  reputation  in  history  will  rest  largely  upon  his 
service  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  That  service 
was  exceptionally  long.  He  was  nine  times  consecu- 
tively chosen  to  the  House,  an  honor  enjoyed  probably 
by  not  twenty  other  Representatives  of  the  more  than 
five  thousand  who  have  been  elected  from  the  organi- 
zation of  the  government  to  this  hour. 

As  a  parHamentary  orator,  as  a  debater  on  an  issue 
squarely  joined,  where  the  position  had  been  chosen 
and  the  ground  laid  out,  Garfield  must  be  assigned  a 
very  high  rank.  More,  perhaps,  than  any  man  with 
whom  he  was  associated  in  public  life,  he  gave  careful 
and  systematic  study  to  public  questions  and  he  came 
to  every  discussion  in  which  he  took  part,  with  elabor- 
ate and  complete  preparation.  He  was  a  steady  and 
indefatigable  worker.  Those  who  imagine  that  talent 
or  genius  can  supply  the  place  or  achieve  the  results 
of  labor  will  find  no  encouragement  in  Garfield's  life. 
In  preliminary  work  he  was  apt,  rapid,  and  skilful. 
He  possessed  in  a  high  degree  the  power  of  readily 
absorbing  ideas  and  facts,  and,  like  Dr.  Johnson,  had 
the  art  of  getting  from  a  book  all  that  was  of  value  in 
it  by  a  reading  apparently  so  quick  and  cursory  that  it 
seemed  like  a  mere  glance  at  the  table  of  contents. 
He  was  a  pre-eminently  fair  and  candid  man  in  debate, 
took  no  petty  advantage,  stooped  to  no  unworthy 
methods,  avoided  personal  allusions,  rarely  appealed 
to  prejudice,  did  not  seek  to  inflame  passion.  He  had 
a  quicker  eye  for  the  strong  point  of  his  adversary  than 
for  his  weak  point,  and  on  his  own  side  he  so  mar- 
shalled his  weighty  arguments  as  to  make  his  hearers 
forget  any  possible  lack  in  the  complete  strength  of 


466  LOG-CABIN  TO   WHITE  HOUSE. 

his  position.  He  had  a  habit  of  stating  his  opponent's 
side  with  such  amplitude  of  fairness  and  such  liberality 
of  concession  that  his  followers  often  complained  that 
he  was  giving  his  case  away.  But  never  in  his  pro- 
longed participation  in  the  proceedings  of  the  House 
did  he  give  his  case  away,  or  fail  in  the  judgment  of 
competent  and  impartial  listeners  to  gain  the  mastery. 
These  characteristics,  which  marked  Garfield  as  a 
great  debater,  did  not,  however,  make  him  a  great 
parliamentary  leader.  A  parliamentary  leader,  as  that 
term  is  understood  wherever  free  representative  gov- 
ernment exists,  is  necessarily  and  very  strictly  the 
organ  of  his  party.  An  ardent  American  defined  the 
instinctive  warmth  of  patriotism  when  he  offered  the 
toast,  "  Our  country,  always  right,  but  right  or  wrong, 
our  country."  The  parliamentary  leader  who  has  a 
body  of  followers  that  will  do  and  dare  and  die  for  the 
cause,  is  one  who  believes  his  party  always  right,  but 
right  or  wrong,  is  for  his  party.  No  more  important 
or  exacting  duty  devolves  upon  him  than  the  selection 
of  the  field  and  the  time  for  contest.  He  must  know 
not  merely  how  to  strike,  but  where  to  strike,  and 
when  to  strike.  He  often  skilfully  avoids  the  strength 
of  his  opponent's  position  and  scatters  confusion  in 
his  ranks  by  attacking  an  exposed  point  when  really 
the  righteousness  of  the  cause  and  the  strength  of 
logical  entrenchment  are  against  him.  He  conquers 
often  both  against  the  right  and  the  heavy  battalions  ; 
as  when  young  Charles  Fox,  in  the  days  of  his  toryism, 
carried  the  House  of  Commons  against  justice,  against 
its  immemorial  rights,  against  his  own  convictions,  if, 
indeed,  at  that  period  Fox  had  convictions,  and,  in  the 


EULOGY.  467 

interest  of  a  corrupt  administration,  in  obedience  to  a 
tyrannical  sovereign,  drove  Wilkes  from  the  seat  to 
which  the  electors  of  Middlesex  had  chosen  him  and 
installed  Luttrell  in  defiance,  not  merely  of  law  but  of 
public  decency.  For  an  achievement  of  that  kind 
Garfield  was  disqualified  —  disqualified  by  the  texture 
of  his  mind,  by  the  honesty  of  his  heart,  by  his  con- 
science, and  by  every  instinct  and  aspiration  of  his 
nature. 

The  three  most  distinguished  parliamentary  leaders 
hitherto  developed  in  this  country  are  Mr.  Clay,  Mr. 
Douglas,  and  Mr.  Thaddeus  Stevens.  Each  was  a 
man  of  consummate  ability,  of  great  earnestness,  of 
intense  personality,  differing  widely,  each  from  the 
others,  and  yet  with  a  signal  trait  in  common  —  the 
power  to  command.  In  the  give  and  take  of  daily 
discussion,  in  the  art  of  controlling  and  consolidating 
reluctant  and  refractory  followers  ;  in  the  skill  to  over- 
come all  forms  of  opposition,  and  to  meet  with  com- 
petency and  courage  the  varying  phases  of  unlookcd 
for  assault  or  unsuspected  defection,  it  would  be 
difficult  to  rank  with  these  a  fourth  name  in  all  our 
Congressional  history.  But  of  these  Mr.  Clay  was  the 
greatest.  It  would,  perhaps,  be  impossible  to  find  in 
the  parliamentary  annals  of  the  world  a  parallel  to  Mr. 
Clay,  in  1841,  when  at  sixty-four  years  of  age  he  took 
the  control  of  the  Whig  party  from  the  President  who 
had  received  their  suffrages,  against  the  power  of 
Webster  in  the  Cabinet,  against  the  eloquence  of 
Choate  in  the  Senate,  against  the  herculean  efforts  of 
Caleb  Cushing  and  Henry  A.  Wise  in  the  House.  In 
unshared   leadership,  in    the   pride    and  plenitude  of 


4^8  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

power  he  hurled  against  John  Tyler  with  deepest  scorn 
the  mass  of  that  conquering  column  which  had  swept 
over  the  land  in  1840,  and  drove  his  administration 
to  seek  shelter  behind  the  lines  of  his  political  foes. 
j\Ir.  Douglas  achieved  a  victory  scarcely  less  wonderful 
when,  in  1854,  against  the  secret  desires  of  a  strong 
administration,  against  the  wise  counsel  of  the  older 
chiefs,  against  the  conservative  instincts  and  even  the 
moral  sense  of  the  country,  he  forced  a  reluctant  Con- 
gress into  a  repeal  of  the  Missouri  compromise.  Mr. 
Thaddcus  Stevens,  in  his  contests  from  1865  to  1868, 
actually  advanced  his  parliamentary  leadership  until 
Congress  tied  the  hands  of  the  President  and  governed 
the  country  by  its  own  will,  leaving  only  perfunctory 
duties  to  be  discharged  by  the  Executive.  With  two 
hundred  millions  of  patronage  in  his  hands  at  the 
opening  of  the  contest,  aided  by  the  active  force  of 
Seward  in  the  Cabinet  and  the  moral  power  of  Chase 
on  the  Bench,  Andrew  Johnson  could  not  command 
the  support  of  one-third  in  either  House  against  the 
Parliamentary  uprising  of  which  Thaddeus  Stevens 
was  the  animating  spirit  and  the  unquestioned  leader. 

From  these  three  great  men  Garfield  differed  radi- 
cally, differed  in  the  quality  of  his  mind,  in  tempera- 
ment, in  the  form  and  phase  of  ambition.  He  could 
not  do  what  they  did,  but  he  could  do  what  they  could 
not,  and  in  the  breadth  of  his  Congressional  work  he 
left  that  which  will  longer  exert  a  potential  influence 
among  men,  and  which,  measured  by  the  severe  test  of 
posthumous  criticism,  will  secure  a  more  enduring  and 
more  enviable  fame. 

These  unfamiliar  with   Garfield's   industry,  and  ig- 


EULOGY.  469 

norant  of  the  details  of  his  work,  may,  in  some  degree, 
measure  them  by  the  annals  of  Congress.  No  one  of 
the  generation  of  public  men  to  which  he  belonged  has 
contributed  so  much  that  will  be  valuable  for  future 
reference.  His  speeches  are  numerous,  many  of  them 
brilliant,  all  of  them  well  studied,  carefully  phrased, 
and  exhaustive  of  the  subject  under  consideration. 
Collected  from  the  scattered  pages  of  ninety  royal  oc- 
tavo volumes  of  Congressional  Record,  they  would 
present  an  invaluable  compendium  of  the  political 
history  of  the  most  important  era  through  which  the 
national  government  has  ever  passed.  When  the  his- 
tory of  this  period  shall  be  impartially  written,  when 
war  legislation,  measures  of  reconstruction,  protection 
of  human  rights,  amendments  to  the  constitution,  main- 
tenance of  public  credit,  steps  towards  specie  resump- 
tion, true  theories  of  revenue  may  be  reviewed,  unsur- 
rounded  by  prejudice  and  disconnected  from  partisan- 
ism,  the  speeches  of  Garfield  will  be  estimated  at  their 
true  value,  and  will  be  found  to  comprise  a  vast  maga- 
zine of  fact  and  argument,  of  clear  analysis  and  sound 
conclusion.  Indeed,  if  no  other  authority  were  acces- 
sible, his  speeches  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
from  December,  1863,  to  June,  1880,  would  give  a  well 
connected  history  and  complete  defence  of  the  import- 
ant legislation  of  the  seventeen  eventful  years  that 
constitute  his  Parliamentary  life.  Far  beyond  that,  his 
speeches  would  be  found  to  forecast  many  great  meas- 
ures, yet  to  be  completed  —  measures  which  he  knew 
were  beyond  the  public  opinion  of  the  hour,  but  which 
he  confidently  believed  would  secure  popular  approval 
within  the  period  of  his  own  lifetime,  and  by  the  aid  of 
his  own  efforts. 


470  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

Differing,  as  Garfield  does,  from  the  brilliant  Parlia- 
mentary leaders,  it  is  not  easy  to  find  his  counterpart 
anywhere  in  the  record  of  American  public  life.  He 
perhaps  more  nearly  resembles  Mr.  Seward  in  his  su- 
preme faith  in  the  all-conquering  power  of  a  principle. 
He  had  the  love  of  learning,  and  the  patient  industry 
of  investigation,  to  which  John  Ouincy  Adams  owed  his 
prominence  and  his  Presidency.  He  had  some  of  those 
ponderous  elements  of  mind  which  distinguished  Mr. 
Webster,  and  which  indeed,  in  all  our  public  life,  have 
left  the  great  Massachusetts  senator  without  an  intel- 
lectual peer. 

In  English  parliamentary  history,  as  in  our  own,  the 
leaders  in  the  House  of  Commons  present  points  of 
essential  difference  from  Garfield.  But  some  of  his 
methods  recall  the  best  features  in  the  strong,  inde- 
pendent course  of  Sir  Robert  Peel,  and  striking  re- 
semblances are  discernible  in  that  most  promising  of 
modern  conservatives,  who  died  too  early  for  his  coun- 
try and  his  fame,  Lord  George  Bentinck.  He  had  all 
of  Burke's  love  for  the  Sublime  and  the  Beautiful,  with 
possibly,  something  of  his  superabundance ;  and  in  his 
faith  and  his  magnanimity,  in  his  power  of  statement, 
in  his  subtle  analysis,  in  his  faultless  logic,  in  his  love 
of  literature,  in  his  wealth  and  world  of  illustration,  one 
is  reminded  of  that  great  English  statesman  of  to- 
day, who,  confronted  with  obstacles  that  would  daunt 
any  but  the  dauntless,  reviled  by  those  whom  he  would 
relieve  as  bitterly  as  by  those  whose  supposed  rights 
he  is  forced  to  invade,  still  labors  with  serene  courage 
for  the  amelioration  of  Ireland,  and  for  the  honor  of  the 
English  name. 


EULOGY.  471 

Garfield's  nomination  to  the  Presidency,  while  not 
predicted  or  anticipated,  was  not  a  surprise  to  the 
country.  His  prominence  in  Congress,  his  solid  qual- 
ities, his  wide  reputation,  strengthened  by  his  then  re- 
cent election  as  Senator  from  Ohio,  kept  him  in  the 
public  eye  as  a  man  occupying  the  very  highest  rank 
among  those  entitled  to  be  called  statesmen.  It  was 
not  mere  chance  that  brought  him  this  high  honor. 
**We  must,"  says  Mr.  Emerson,  "  reckon  success  a  con- 
stitutional trait.  If  Eric  is  in  robust  health  and  has 
slept  well  and  is  at  the  top  of  his  condition,  and  thirty 
years  old  at  his  departure  from  Greenland,  he  will  steer 
west  and  his  ship  will  reach  Newfoundland.  But  take 
Eric  out  and  put  in  a  stronger  and  bolder  man  and  the 
ship  will  sail  six  hundred,  one  thousand,  fifteen  hun- 
dred miles  farther  and  reach  Labrador  and  New  Eng- 
land.    There  is  no  chance  in  results." 

As  a  candidate,  Garfield  steadily  grew  in  popular 
favor.  He  was  met  with  a  storm  of  detraction  at  the 
very  hour  of  his  nomination,  and  it  continued  with  in- 
creasing volume  and  momentum  until  the  close  of  his 
victorious  campaign  : 

No  might  nor  greatness  in  mortality 
Can  censure  'scape  ;  backwounding  calumny 
The  whitest  virtue  strikes.     What  king  so  strong 
Can  tie  the  gall  up  in  the  slanderous  tongue  .'' 

Under  it  all  he  was  calm,  and  strong,  and  confident ; 
never  lost  his  self-possession,  did  no  unwise  act,  spoke 
no  hasty,  or  ill-considered  word.  Indeed,  nothing  in 
his  whole  life  is  more  remarkable  or  more  creditable 
than    his    bearing  through  those   five   full   months  of 


4/2  LOG-CAB IX  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

vituperation  — a  prolonged  agony  of  trial  to  a  sensitive 
man,  a  constant  and  cruel  draft  upon  the  powers  of 
moral  endurance.  The  great  mass  of  these  unjust  im- 
putations passed  unnoticed,  and  with  the  general  debris 
of  the  campaign  fell  into  oblivion.  But  in  a  few  in- 
stances the  iron  entered  his  soul,  and  he  died  with  the 
injury  unforgotten,  if  not  unforgiven. 

One  aspect  of  Garfield's  candidacy  was  unprece- 
dented. Never  before,  in  the  history  of  partisan  con- 
tests in  this  country,  had  a  successful  Presidential 
candidate  spoken  freely  on  passing  events  and  cur- 
rent issues.  To  attempt  anything  of  the  kind  seemed 
novel,  rash,  and  even  desperate.  The  older  class  of 
voters  recalled  the  unfortunate  Alabama  letter,  in 
which  Mr.  Clay  was  supposed  to  have  signed  his  politi- 
cal death  warrant.  They  remembered,  also,  the  hot- 
tempered  effusion  by  which  General  Scott  lost  a  large 
share  of  his  popularity  before  his  nomination,  and  the 
unfortunate  speeches  which  rapidly  consumed  the  re- 
mainder. The  younger  voters  had  seen  Mr.  Greeley, 
in  a  series  of  vigorous  and  original  addresses,  prepar- 
ing the  pathway  for  his  own  defeat.  Unmindful  of 
these  warnings,  unheeding  the  advice  of  friends,  Gar- 
field spoke  to  large  crowds  as  he  journeyed  to  and  from 
New  York,  in  August,  to  a  great  multitude  in  that 
city,  to  delegations  and  deputations  of  every  kind  that 
called  at  Mentor  during  the  summer  and  autumn. 
With  innumerable  critics,  watchful  and  eager  to  catch 
a  phrase  that  might  be  turned  into  odium  or  ridicule, 
or  a  sentence  that  might  be  distorted  to  his  own  or 
his  party's  injury,  Garfield  did  not  trip  or  halt  in  any 
one  of  his  seventy  speeches.     This  seems  all  the  more 


EULOGY.  473 

remarkable  when  it  is  remembered  that  he  did  not 
write  what  he  said,  and  yet  spoke  with  such  logical 
consecutiveness  of  thought,  and  such  admirable  pre- 
cision of  phrase,  as  to  defy  the  accident  of  misreport 
and  the  malignity  of  misrepresentation. 

In  the  beginning  of  his  Presidential  life,  Garfield's 
experience  did  not  yield  him  pleasure  or  satisfaction. 
The  duties  that  engross  so  large  a  portion  of  the 
President's  time  were  distasteful  to  him,  and  were  un- 
favorably contrasted  with  his  legislative  work.  "  I 
have  been  dealing  all  these  years  with  ideas,"  he  im- 
patiently exclaimed  one  day,  ''  and  here  I  am  dealing 
only  with  persons.  I  have  been  heretofore  treating 
of  the  fundamental  principles  of  government,  and  here 
I  am  considering  all  day  whether  A  or  B  shall  be  ap- 
pointed to  this  or  that  office."  He  was  earnestly 
seeking  some  practical  way  of  correcting  the  evils  aris- 
ing from  the  distribution  of  overgrown  and  unwieldy 
patronage  —  evils  always  appreciated  and  often  dis- 
cussed by  him,  but  whose  magnitude  had  been  more 
deeply  impressed  upon  his  mind  since  his  accession  to 
the  Presidency.  Had  he  lived,  a  comprehensive  im- 
provement in  the  mode  of  appointment  and  in  the  ten- 
ure of  office  would  have  been  proposed  by  him,  and, 
with  the  aid  of  Congress,  no  doubt  perfected. 

But,  while  many  of  the  Executive  duties  were  not 
grateful  to  him,  he  was  assiduous  and  conscientious  in 
their  discharge.  From  the  very  outset  he  exhibited 
administrative  talent  of  a  high  order.  He  grasped  the 
helm  of  office  with  the  hand  of  a  master.  In  this  res- 
pect, indeed,  he  constantly  surprised  many  who  were 
most  intimately  associated  with   him  in  the  govern- 


474  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

ment,  and  especially  those  who  had  feared  that  he 
might  be  lacking  in  the  executive  faculty.  His  dispo- 
sition of  business  was  orderly  and  rapid.  His  power 
of  analysis,  and  his  skill  in  classification,  enabled  him 
to  dispatch  a  vast  mass  of  detail  with  singular  prompt- 
ness and  ease.  His  Cabinet  meetings  were  admirably 
conducted.  His  clear  presentation  of  official  subjects, 
his  well-considered  suggestion  of  topics  on  which  dis- 
cussion was  invited,  his  quick  decision  when  all  had 
been  heard,  combined  to  show  a  thoroughness  of 
mental  training  as  rare  as  his  natural  ability  and  his 
facile  adaptation  to  a  new  and  enlarged  field  of  labor. 

With  perfect  comprehension  of  all  the  inheritances 
of  the  war,  with  a  cool  calculation  of  the  obstacles  in 
his  way,  impelled  always  by  a  generous  enthusiasm, 
Garfield  conceived  that  much  might  be  done  by  his 
administration  towards  restoring  harmony  between  the 
different  sections  of  the  Union.  He  was  anxious  to 
go  South  and  speak  to  the  people.  As  early  as  April 
he  had  ineffectually  endeavored  to  arrange  for  a  trip 
to  Nashville,  whither  he  had  been  cordially  invited, 
and  he  was  again  disappointed  a  few  weeks  later  to 
find  that  he  could  not  go  to  South  Carolina  to  attend 
the  centennial  celebration  of  the  victory  of  the  Cow- 
pens.  But  for  the  autumn  he  definitely  counted  on 
being  present  at  three  memorable  assemblies  in  the 
South,  the  celebration  at  Yorktown,  the  opening  of 
the  Cotton  Exposition  at  Atlanta,  and  the  meeting  of 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  at  Chattanooga.  He 
was  already  turning  over  in  his  mind  his  address  for 
each  occasion,  and  the  three  taken  together,  he  said 
to  a  friend,  gave  him  the  exact  scope  and  verge  which 


EULOGY.  475 

he  needed.  At  Yorktown  he  would  have  before  him 
the  associations  of  a  hundred  years  that  bound  the 
South  and  the  North  in  the  sacred  memory  of  a  com- 
mon danger  and  a  common  victory.  At  Atlanta  he 
would  present  the  material  interests  and  the  industrial 
development  which  appealed  to  the  thrift  and  inde- 
pendence of  every  household,  and  which  should  unite 
the  two  sections  by  the  instinct  of  self-interest  and 
self-defence.  At  Chattanooga  he  would  revive  mem- 
ories of  the  war  only  to  show  that,  after  all  its  disas- 
ter, and  all  its  suffering,  the  country  was  stronger  and 
greater,  the  Union  rendered  indissoluble,  and  the 
future,  through  the  agony  and  blood  of  one  generation, 
made  brighter  and  better  for  all. 

Garfield's  ambition  for  the  success  of  his  administra- 
tion was  high.  With  strong  caution  and  conservatism 
in  his  nature,  he  was  in  no  danger  of  attempting  rash 
experiments  or  of  resorting  to  the  empiricism  of  states- 
manship. But  he  believed  that  renewed  and  closer 
attention  should  be  given  to  questions  affecting  the 
material  interests  and  commercial  prospects  of  fifty 
millions  of  people.  He  believed  that  our  continental  re- 
lations, extensive  and  undeveloped  ^s  they  are,  involved 
responsibility,  and  could  be  cultivated  into  profitable 
friendship  or  be  abandoned  to  harmful  indifference  or 
lasting  enmity.  He  believed  with  equal  confidence 
that  an  essential  forerunner  to  a  new  era  of  national 
progress  must  be  a  feeling  of  contentment  in  every 
section  of  the  Union,  and  a  generous  belief  that  the 
benefits  and  burdens  of  government  would  be  common 
to  all.  Himself  a  conspicuous  illustration  of  what 
ability  and  ambition  may  do  under  republican  institu- 


4/6  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

tions,  he  loved  his  country  with  a  passion  of  patriotic 
devotion,  and  every  waking  thought  was  given  to  her 
advancement.  He  was  an  American  in  all  his  aspira- 
tions, and  he  looked  to  the  destiny  and  influence  of 
the  United  States  with  the  philosophic  composure  of 
Jefferson  and  the  demonstrative  confidence  of  John 
Adams. 

The  political  events  which  disturbed  the  President's 
serenity,  for  many  weeks  before  that  fateful  day  in 
July,  form  an  important  chapter  in  his  career,  and,  in 
his  own  judgment,  involved  questions  of  principle  and 
of  right  which  are  vitally  essential  to  the  constitutional 
administration  of  the  Federal  Government.  It  would 
be  out  of  place  here  and  now  to  speak  the  language  of 
controversy ;  but  the  events  referred  to,  however  they 
may  continue  to  be  source  of  contention  with  others, 
have  become,  so  far  as  Garfield  is  concerned,  as  much 
a  matter  of  history  as  his  heroism  at  Chickamauga  or 
his  illustrious  service  in  the  house.  Detail  is  not  need- 
ful, and  personal  antagonism  shall  not  be  rekindled  by 
any  word  uttered  to-day.  The  motives  of  those 
opposing  him  are  not  to  be  here  adversely  interpreted 
nor  their  course  harshly  characterized.  But  of  the 
dead  President  this  is  to  be  said,  and  said  because  his 
own  speech  is  forever  silenced  and  he  can  be  no  more 
heard  except  through  the  fidelity  and  the  love  of  sur- 
viving friends  :  From  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the 
controversy  he  so  much  deplored,  the  President  was 
never  for  one  moment  actuated  by  any  motive  of  gain 
to  himself  or  of  loss  to  others.  Least  of  all  men  did 
he  harbor  revenge,  rarely  did  he  even  show  resent- 
ment, and  malice  was  not  in  his  nature.     He  was  con- 


EULOGY.  477 

genially  employed  only  in  the  exchange  of  good  offices 
and  the  doing  of  kindly  deeds. 

There  was  not  an  hour  from  the  beginning  of  the 
trouble  till  the  fatal  shot  entered  his  body,  when  the 
President  would  not  gladly,  for  the  sake  of  restoring 
harmony,  have  retraced  any  step  he  had  taken  if  such 
retracing  had  merely  involved  consequences  personal 
to  himself.  The  pride  of  consistency,  or  any  supposed 
sense  of  humiliation  that  might  result  from  surrender- 
ing his  position,  had  not  a  feather's  weight  with  him. 
No  man  was  ever  less  subject  to  such  influences  from 
within  or  from  without.  But  after  the  most  anxious 
deliberation  and  the  coolest  survey  of  all  the  circum- 
stances, he  solemnly  believed  that  the  true  prerogatives 
of  the  Executive  were  involved  in  the  issue  which  had 
been  raised,  and  that  he  would  be  unfaithful  to  his 
supreme  obligation  if  he  failed  to  maintain,  in  all  their 
vigor,  the  constitutional  rights  and  dignities  of  his 
great  office.  He  believed  this  in  all  the  convictions 
of  conscience  when  in  sound  and  vigorous  health,  and 
he  believed  it  in  his  suffering  and  prostration  in  the 
last  conscious  thought  which  his  wearied  mind  be- 
stowed on  the  transitory  struggles  of  life. 

More  than  this  need  not  be  said.  Less  than  this 
could  not  be  said.  Justice  to  the  dead,  the  highest 
obligation  that  devolves  upon  the  living,  demands  the 
declaration  that  in  all  the  bearings  of  the  subject, 
actual  or  possible,  the  President  was  content  in  his 
mind,  justified  in  his  conscience,  immovable  in  his 
conclusions. 

The  religious  element  in  Garfield's  character  was 
deep  and  earnest.     In  his  early  youth  he  espoused  the 


4/8  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

faith  of  the  Disciples,  a  sect  of  that  great  Baptist  Com- 
munion, which  in  different  ecclesiastical  establishments 
is  so  numerous  and  so  influential  throughout  all  parts 
of  the  United  States.  But  the  broadening  tendency 
of  his  mind  and  his  active  spirit  of  inquiry  were  early 
apparent  and  carried  him  beyond  the  dogmas  of  sect 
and  the  restraints  of  association.  In  selecting  a  col- 
lege in  which  to  continue  his  education  he  rejected 
Bethany,  though  presided  over  by  Alexander  Campbell, 
the  greatest  preacher  of  his  church.  His  reasons  were 
characteristic;  first,  that  Bethany  leaned  too  heavily 
toward  slavery  ;  and,  second,  that  being  himself  a  Dis- 
ciple and  the  son  of  Disciple  parents,  he  had  little 
acquaintance  with  people  of  other  beliefs,  and  he 
thought  it  would  make  him  more  liberal,  quoting 
his  own  words,  both  in  his  religious  and  general 
views,  to  go  into  a  new  circle  and  be  under  new  in- 
fluences. 

The  liberal  tendency  which  he  anticipated  as  the 
result  of  wider  culture  was  fully  realized.  He  was 
emancipated  from  mere  sectarian  belief,  and  with  eager 
interest  pushed  his  investigations  in  the  direction  of 
modern  progressive  thought.  He  followed  with  quick- 
ening step  in  the  paths  of  exploration  and  speculation 
so  fearlessly  trodden  by  Darwin,  by  Huxley,  by  Tyn- 
dall,  and  by  other  living  scientists  of  the  radical  and 
advanced  type  His  own  church,  binding  its  disciples 
by  no  formulated  creed,  but  accepting  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  as  the  word  of  God  with  unbiased  liberty 
of  private  interpretation,  favored,  if  it  did  not  stimulate, 
the  spirit  of  investigation.  Its  members  profess  with 
sincerity,  and  profess  only,  to  be  of  one  mind  and  one 


EULOGY,  479 

faith  with  those  who  immediately  followed  the  Master, 
and  who  were  first  called  Christians  at  Antioch. 

But  however  high  Garfield  reasoned  of  "fixed  fate, 
free  will,  foreknowledge  absolute,"  he  was  never  separ- 
ated from  the  Church  of  the  Disciples  in  his  affections 
and  in  his  associations.  For  him  it  held  the  ark  of  the 
covenant.  To  him  it  was  the  gate  of  heaven.  The 
world  of  religious  belief  is  full  of  solecisms  and  contra- 
dictions. A  philosophic  observer  declares  that  men 
by  the  thousand  will  die  in  defence  of  a  creed  whose 
doctrines  they  do  not  comprehend  and  whose  tenets 
they  habitually  violate.  It  is  equally  true  that  men  by 
the  thousand  will  cling  to  church  organizations  with 
instinctive  and  undying  fidelity  when  their  belief  in 
maturer  years  is  radically  different  from  that  which 
which  inspired  them  as  neophytes. 

But  after  this  range  of  speculation,  and  this  latitude 
of  doubt,  Garfield  came  back  always  with  freshness 
and  delight  to  the  simpler  instincts  of  religious  faith, 
which,  earliest  implanted,  longest  survive.  Not  many 
weeks  before  his  assassination,  walking  on  the  banks 
of  the  Potomac  with  a  friend,  and  conversing  on  those 
topics  of  personal  religion,  concerning  which  noble 
natures  have  an  unconquerable  reserve,  he  said  that 
he  found  the  Lord's  prayer  and  the  simple  petitions 
learned  in  infancy  infinitely  restful  to  him,  not  merely 
in  their  stated  repetition,  but  in  their  casual  and 
frequent  recall  as  he  went  about  the  daily  duties  of 
life.  Certain  texts  of  scripture  had  a  very  strong  hold 
on  his  memory  and  his  heart.  He  heard,  while  in 
Edinburgh  some  years  ago,  an  eminent  Scotch  preacher 
who   prefaced   his    sermon  with    reading   the   eighth 


480  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  which  book  had 
been  the  subject  of  careful  study  with  Garfield  during 
all  his  religious  life.  He  was  greatly  impressed  by 
the  elocution  of  the  preacher  and  declared  that  it  had 
imparted  a  new  and  deeper  meaning  to  the  majestic 
utterances  of  Saint  Paul.  He  referred  often  in  after 
years  to  that  memorable  service,  and  dwelt  with 
exaltation  of  feeling  upon  the  radiant  promise  and  the 
assured  hope  with  which  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gen- 
tiles was  "persuaded  that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor 
angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things 
present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth, 
nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us 
from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord." 

The  crowding  characteristic  of  General  Garfield's 
religious  opinions,  as,  indeed,  of  all  his  opinions,  was 
his  liberality.  In  all  things  he  had  charity.  Toler- 
ance was  of  his  nature.  He  respected  in  others  the 
qualities  which  he  possessed  himself  —  sincerity  of 
conviction  and  frankness  of  expression.  With  him 
the  inquiry  was  not  so  much  what  a  man  believes,  but 
does  he  believe  it }  The  lines  of  his  friendship  and 
his  confidence  encircled  men  of  every  creed,  and  men 
of  no  creed,  and  to  the  end  of  his  life,  on  his  ever- 
lengthening  list  of  friends,  were  to  be  found  the 
names  of  a  pious  Catholic  priest  and  of  an  honest- 
minded  and  generous-hearted  free-thinker. 

On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  July  second,  the 
President  was  a  contented  and  happy  man  —  not  in  an 
ordinary  degree,  but  joyfully,  almost  boyishly  happy. 
On  his  way  to  the  railroad  station  to  which  he  drove 


EULOGY.  4S1 

slowly,  in  conscious  enjoyment  of  the  beautiful  morn- 
ing, with  an  unwonted  sense  of   leisure  and  a  keen 
anticipation -of  pleasure,  his  talk  was  all  in  the  grateful 
and  gratulatory  vein.     He  felt  that  after  four  months  of 
trial   his   administration  was  strong   in  its   grasp  of 
affairs,  strong  in  popular  favor  and  destined  to  grow 
stronger;   that   grave  difficulties  confronting   him  at 
his  inauguration  had  been  safely  passed  ;  that  trouble 
lay  behind  him  and  not  before  him  ;  that  he  was  soon 
to  meet  the  wife  whom  he  loved,  now  recovering  from 
an  illness  which  had  but  lately  disquieted  and  at  times 
almost  unnerved  him  ;  that  he  was  going  to  his  Alma 
Mater  to  renew  the  most  cherished  associations  of  his 
young    manhood,    and    to    exchange    greetings   with 
those  whose  deepening   interest  had   followed   every 
step  of  his  upward  progress,  from  the  day  he  entered 
upon   his  college  course  until   he   had   attained   the 
loftiest  elevation  in  the  gift  of  his  countrymen. 

Surely,  if  happiness  can  ever  come  from  the  honors 
or  triumphs  of  this  world,  on  that  quiet  July  morning 
James  A.  Garfield  may  well  have  been  a  happy  man. 
No  foreboding  of  evil  haunted  him  ;  no  slightest  pre- 
monition of  danger  clouded  his  sky.  His  terrible  fate 
was  upon  him  in  an  instant.  One  moment  he  stood 
erect,  strong,  confident  in  the  years  stretching  peace- 
fully out  before  him.  The  next  he  lay  wounded, 
bleeding,  helpless,  doomed  to  weary  weeks  of  torture, 
to  silence,  and  the  grave. 

Great  in  life,  he  was  surpassingly  great  in  death. 
For  no  cause,  in  the  very  frenzy  of  wantonness  and 
wickedness,  by  the  red  hand  of  murder,  he  was  thrust 
from  the  full  tide  of  this  world's  interest,  from   its 


482  LOG-CABIN  TO  WHITE  HOUSE. 

hopes,  its  aspirations,  its  victories,  into  the  visible 
presence  of  death  —  and  he  did  not  quail.  Not  alone 
for  the  one  short  moment  in  which,  stunned  and 
dazed,  he  could  give  up  life,  hardly  aware  of  its  relin- 
quishment, but  through  days  of  deadly  languor, 
through  weeks  of  agony,  that  was  not  less  agony 
because  silently  borne,  with  clear  sight  and  calm 
courage,  he  looked  into  his  open  grave.  What  blight 
and  ruin  met  his  anguished  eyes,  whose  lips  may  tell 
—  what  brilliant,  broken  plans,  what  baffled,  high 
ambitions,  what  sundering  of  strong,  warm,  manhood's 
friendships,  what  bitter  rending  of  sweet  household 
ties !  Behind  him  a  proud,  expectant  nation,  a  great 
host  of  sustaining  friends,  a  cherished  and  happy 
mother,  wearing  the  full,  rich  honors  of  her  early  toil  and 
tears  ;  the  wife  of  his  youth,  whose  whole  life  lay  in  his  ; 
the  little  boys  not  yet  emerged  from  childhood's  day 
of  frolic ;  the  fair  young  daughter ;  the  sturdy  sons 
just  springing  into  closest  companionship,  claiming 
every  day  and  every  day  rewarding  a  father's  love  and 
care  ;  and  in  his  heart  the  eager,  rejoicing  power  to 
meet  all  demand.  Before  him  desolation  and  great 
darkness !  And  his  soul  was  not  shaken.  His 
countrymen  were  thrilled  with  instant,  profound,  and 
universal  sympathy.  Masterful  in  his  mortal  weak- 
ness, he  became  the  centre  of  a  nation's  love, 
enshrined  in  the  prayers  of  a  world.  But  all  the  love 
and  all  the  sympathy  could  not  share  with  him  his 
suffering.  He  trod  the  wine-press  alone.  With 
unfaltering  front  he  faced  death.  With  unfailing 
tenderness  he  took  leave  of  life.  Above  the  demoniac 
hiss  of  the  assassin's  bullet  he  heard  the  voice  of  God. 


EULOGY.  483 

With   simple   resignation   he   bowed    to   the    Divine 
decree. 

As  the  end  drew  near,  his  early  craving  for  the  sea 
returned.  The  stately  mansion  of  power  had  been  to 
him  the  wearisome  hospital  of  pain,  and  he  begged  to 
be  taken  from  its  prison  walls,  from  its  oppressive, 
stifling  air,  from  its  homelessness  and  its  hopelessness. 
Gently,  silently,  the  love  of  a  great  people  bore  the 
pale  sufferer  to  the  longed-for  healing  of  the  sea,  to 
live  or  to  die,  as  God  should  will,  within  sight  of  its 
heaving  billows,  within  sound  of  its  manifold  voices. 
With  wan,  fevered  face  tenderly  lifted  to  the  cooling 
breeze,  he  looked  out  wistfully  upon  the  ocean's 
changing  wonders ;  on  its  far  sails,  whitening  in  the 
morning  light ;  on  its  restless  waves,  rolling  shore- 
ward to  break  and  die  beneath  the  noonday  sun ;  on 
the  red  clouds  of  evening,  arching  low  to  the  horizon ; 
on  the  serene  and  shining  pathway  of  the  stars.  Let 
us  think  that  his  dying  eyes  read  a  mystic  meaning 
which  only  the  rapt  and  parting  soul  may  know.  Let 
us  believe  that  in  the  silence  of  the  receding  world  he 
heard  the  great  waves  breaking  on  a  further  shore, 
and  felt  already  upon  his  wasted  brow  the  breath  of 
the  eternal  morning. 


BOSTON    STEREOTYPE   FOUNDRY, 

4  Pearl  street. 


200^.  0^^*i.  O^^Sl